SANTA     CRUZ 


Gift  of 
MARION    R.    WALKER 

in  memory  of  his  grandfather 

THE  HON.  MARION  CANNON 

M.C.  1892-94 


H 
X 

m 


.  S.    ^  Coy.,  kt -sess.,  WH1V 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES 


LIFE  AND   CHARACTER 


JOHN   R.  GAMBLE, 

(A  REPRESENTATIVE  FROM  SOUTH  DAKOTA,) 


DELIVERED    IN    THE 


PUBLISHED  BY  ORDER  OP'  CONGRESS. 


WASHINGTON : 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 

1893 


Resolved  by  the  House  of  Representatives  (the  Senate  concurring),  That 
there  be  printed  of  the  eulogies  delivered  in  Congress  upon  the  Hon. 
JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  late  a  Representative  from  the  State  of  South  Dakota, 
eight  thousand  copies,  of  which  number  two  thousand  shall  be  delivered 
to  the  Senators  and  Representatives  of  the  State  of  South  Dakota,  which 
shall  include  fifty  copies  to  be  bound  in  full  morocco,  to  be  delivered  to 
the  family  of  the  deceased ;  and  of  those  remaining,  two  thousand  copies 
shall  be  for  the  use  of  the  Senate,  and  four  thousand  copies  for  the  use  of 
the  House  of  Representatives ;  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is  directed 
to  have  engraved  and  printed  a  portrait  of  the  said  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE  to 
accompany  said  eulogies. 

Agreed  to  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  April  15,  1892. 

Agreed  to  in  the  Senate,  April  20,  1892. 


DEATH  OF  REPRESENTATIVE  GAMBLE. 


JOHN  EANKIN  GAMBLE  died  in  Yankton,  S.  Dak,,  Friday, 
August  14,  1891,  aged  43  years  7  months  and  13  days. 

"JOHN  GAMBLE  is  dead."  These  words  greeted  tbe  early 
risers  Friday  morning  and  were  told  at  many  bedsides  in  the 
early  day.  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  dead  ?  There  must  be  some  mis- 
take. He  can  not  be  dead.  We  can  not  realize  it;  and  yet  he 
is  gone,  and  this  city,  the  State  and  the  West,  have  lost  a  good 
citizen,  a  loyal  champion,  and  a  grand  representative. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  had  been  a  sufferer  with  a  heart  trouble  for 
many  years.  Indefatigable,  as  he  seemed,  and  as  industrious 
and  persistent  as  he  was,  there  was  a  limit  to  his  strength,  and 
he  reached  it.  Thursday  he  complained  of  an  indisposition, 
and  at  6  o'clock  last  night  Dr.  Turkopp,  the  family  physician, 
was  summoned.  He  left  some  medicine  and  called  again  at  9 
o'clock.  Mr.  GAMBLE  seemed  to  be  feeling  better  then;  but 
at  12  o'clock  the  heart  trouble,  of  which  the  mild  illness  of  the 
day  was  a  symptom,  attacked  him,  and  Dr.  Turkopp  found  him 
very  weak  and  very  much  wearied  when  he  reached  the  bed- 
side. His  brothers,  Hugh  and  Robert,  were  with  him  until 
late  last  evening,  but  they  had  not  the  remotest  idea  that  he 
would  not  be  well  on  the  way  to  recovery  to-day.  John  ral- 
lied from  the  attack  and  rested  easily  until  about  3  a.  m.,  Dr. 
Turkopp  and  Mrs.  Gamble  remaining  with  him.  The  doomed 
man  seemed,  however,  to  realize  hfs  own  condition,  but  was 

3 


4  Death  of  Representative  Gamble. 

much  encouraged  that  lie  felt  stronger.  At  about  3 : 30  o'clock, 
however,  there  came  another  attack,  and  Dr.  Turkopp  asked 
for  a  consultation  of  physicians.  Dr.  McGlumphy  was  sum- 
moned, and  the  two  doctors  applied  external  restoratives  and 
made  every  effort  to  relieve  the  sufferer.  Their  efforts  were 
partially  successful,  and  Mr.  GAMBLE  rallied  again.  At  5:30, 
however,  he  began  to  fail  rapidly,  and  at  6 : 15,  after  having  been 
unconscious  for  fifteen  minutes,  he  drew  one  last  feeble  breath 
and  was  dead.  Eobert  Gamble  had  been  called  at  5 : 30,  but 
his  brother  had  passed  into  a  partial  unconsciousness  and  did 
not  know  him. 

JOHN  RANKIN  GAMBEE  was  born  in  the  town  of  Alabama, 
Genesee  County,  State  of  New  York,  on  the  15th  day  of 
January,  1848.  He  was  qf  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  On  his 
mother's  side  he  was  related  to  Andrew  Jackson,  his  mother 
being  a  third  cousin.  He  was  brought  up  upon  the  farm,  and 
attended  the  common  schools  in  the  neighborhood.  He  re- 
moved with  his  people  to  Fox  Lake,  Wis.,  in  the  year  1862  and 
continued  to  reside  on  the  farm.  He  was  always  an  energetic, 
active,  and  studious  young  man,  and  was  a  leader  in  his  work 
and  the  best  student  in  his  classes.  By  his  industry  at  an 
early  age  he  mastered  all  the  studies  taught  in  the  schools  of 
the  neighborhood,  and  he  then  took  up  the  work  of  self- 
instruction.  He  was  always  a  great  reader,  and  he  made  such 
advancement  that  when  he  entered  Lawrence  University  at 
Appleton,  Wis.,  in  1867,  he  graduated  the  first  in  his  class  in 
1872,  taking  the  full  classical  course.  Prior  to  his  entering  col- 
lege and  during  his  course  he  taughtschool,  and  largely  paid  his 
own  way  through  his  entire  course.  After  his  graduation  he 
studied  law  with  Dawes  Brothers,  at  Fox  Lake,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing firms  of  central  Wisconsin,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
August,  1873.  He  moved  from  Wisconsin  and  located  in  Yank- 
ton,  S.  Dak.,  in  September" ,  1873,  and  commenced  the  practice 


Death  of  Representative  Gamble.  5 

of  law.  He  has  resided  here  continually  since.  In  November, 
1875,  his  brother,  Robert  J.  Gamble,  joined  him  at  Yankton, 
and  the  two  have  been  partners  in  the  law  business  since  that 
time  under  the  name  of  Gamble  Brothers. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1875,  John  was  married  at  Fox  Lake, 
Wis.,  to  Fannie  Davis,  a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  John  W.  Davis, 
a  leading  citizen  of  that  part  of  the  State.  He  leaves  a  wife 
and  three  children,  Lillie  M.,  aged  13,  Alice  J.,  aged  11,  and 
John  W.,  aged  7.  His  mother  died  in  November,  1880.  His 
father  is  still  living  at  Fox  Lake,  at  the  advanced  age  of  79 
years.  He  has  also  two  brothers  and  one  sister  residing  there. 
William  A.  Gamble,  the  eldest  brother,  keeps  the  old  home- 
stead, and  the  aged  father  is  with  him,  Hon.  James  C.  Gamble, 
a  leading  and  representative  citizen  of  the  county.  His  sister 
Margaret  is  the  wife  of  Lieut.  S.  C.  McDowell,  who  has  held 
mauy  official  positions  in  that  part  of  the  State,  and  was  an 
officer  in  the  Eighth  Wisconsin  Regiment  during  the  war.  He 
has  also  another  sister,  Mrs.  L.  B.  Bridgeman,  who  resides  at 
Wakonda,  in  this  county.  His  two  younger  brothers,  Hugh  S. 
and  Robert  J.,  are  residents  of  Yaukton.  Mr.  GAMBLE'S  dif- 
ferent periods  of  public  service  were : 

As  district  attorney  for  Yaukton  County  from  1876  to  1878. 

As  United  States  attorney  for  Dakota  Territory,  after  the 
death  of  Col.  Pound,  and  until  the  appointment  of  Hugh  J. 
Campbell,  in  1878. 

As  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  from  Yankton 
County  in  1877,  1878,  and  1870. 

As  a  member  of  the  legislative  council  from  Yankton  from 
1881  to  1885,  inclusive. 

He  was  elected  a  Representative  in  Congress  from  the  State 
of  South  Dakota  to  the  Fifty- second  Congress,  and  was  pre- 
paring to  go  to  the  National  Capital  and  take  his  seat  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 


6  Death  of  Representative  Gamble. 

He  had  been  admitted  to  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  'United  States,  and  had  the  reputation  of  possessing  the 
greatest  legal  ability  and  knowledge. 

His  law  business  had  been  lucrative,  and  he  had  accumu- 
lated moderately  of  tho  world's  goods. 


The  death  of  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE  is  an  event  altogether 
unexpected.  The  intelligence  came  with  a  shock  that  has 
served  to  intensify  the  feeling  of  bereavement  which  pervades 
the  city  and  is  keenly  felt  in  every  heart  and  home.  A  few 
days  ago  he  was  mingling  with  his  fellow  men,  apparently  in 
the  best  of  health,  planning  for  the  work  which  his  newly  as- 
sumed official  position  opened  before  him,  inviting  to  a  career 
that-promised  lasting  honor  to  himself  and  great  usefulness  to 
his  fellow  citizens.  His  whole  mind  was  in  this  work,  and 
urging  him  to  its  performance  was  the  will  and  the  ability  of 
one  whose  successes  in  life  have  proven  that  he  possessed  both 

qualities  in  a  remarkable  degree. 

» 
Mr.  GAMBLE  has  been  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  aifairs  of 

Dakota  for  the  past  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  and  his  name  is  as 
familiar  as  a  household  word  throughout  both  the  States  that 
made  up  the  former  Territory.  His  active  business  life  had  its 
beginning  and  its  ending  here.  From  the  young  and  briefless 
lawyer  of  twenty  years  ago  he  had  grown  to  be  a  leader  and  an 
authority  in  his  profession,  ranking  second  to  no  one  of  the 
ablest  attorneys  and  counselors  in  South  Dakota.  His  natural 
endowments  were  of  a  high  and  valuable  order,  and  these  were 
supplemented  by  a  liberal  education  and  a  mind  thoroughly 
and  intelligently  disciplined.  He  was  intuitively  a  lawyer, 
and  grew  step  by  step  in  his  profession,  spurred  by  an  am- 
bition that  never  flagged  or  wavered.  He  was  a  r#re  worker. 
His  application  was  a  distinguishing  trait.  To  his  tireless 


Death  of  Representative  Gamble.  7 

will  was  he  indebted  for  the  uninterrupted  successes  which 
greeted  his  professional  labors.  In  this  feature  of  his  life  the 
young  who  are  striving  to  make  headway  may  learn  a  valuable 
lesson. ' 

As  a  leader  of  public  opinion  in  matters  of  a  political  nature 
Mr.  GAMBLE  held  a  first  place  in  the  State.  Heqe  again  his 
indomitable  spirit,  good  abilities,  and  strong  practical  common 
sense  made  him  eminent  and  influential,  and  during  a  period 
of  nearly  twenty  years,  always  foremost  in  the  thickest  of  the 
conflict,  his  career  was  one  of  almost  uninterrupted  achieve- 
ment. And  better  than  this  is  the  record  of  his  public  acts, 
which  bear  no  stain  or  blemish  to  reflect  upon  the  honor  of  his 
name.  He  was  an  uncompromising  Republican.  His  politi- 
cal principles  were  inborn  and  inseparable.  He  was  an  un- 
flinching and  indomitable  fighter  and  truely  knew  no  such 
word  as  fail.  Such  a  nature  always  attracts  the  affection  and 
confidence  of  political  friends,  and  can  not  escape  the  censure 
of  political  foes.  Mr.  GAMBLE  was  no  exception  to  the  rule, 
and  yet  no  political  leader  in  the  State  has  enjoyed  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  all  classes  to  a  greater  extent  than  he. 

In  private  life  Mr.  GAMBLE  was  a  loving  husband,  a  gentle 
and  indulgent  father.  As  a  citizen  he  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  entire  community  of  Yankton,  where  his 
years  of  manhood  have  been  passed.  It  can  be  said  of  him 
that  here  he  was  thoroughly  known  and  thoroughly  respected. 

His  mourning  relatives  and  sorrow-stricken  wife  and  chil- 
dren may  surely  know  that  their  inconsolable  grief  is  largely 
shared  by  the  entire  population  of  the  city.  Strong  men 
strive  in  vain  to  check  the  tear  of  sorrow  and  bereavement. 
All  feel  bereaved — that  if  not  a  brother,  a  true  friend,  a  worthy, 
able,  and  trusted  citizen,  whose  future  career  promised  so 
much  of  usefulness  and  honor,  is  lost  to  them.  Yankton 
mourns  the  death  of  her  foremost  citizen — her  gifted  and  hon- 
ored son. 


THE  FUNERAL  CEREMONIES, 

August  16,  1891. 


JOHN  BANKIN  GAMBLE,  the  deceased  statesman,  was  buried 
Sunday,  August  16,  1891,  amidst  the  tears  of  the  community 
and  the  sorrow  of  the  entire  State.  Of  all  South  Dakota's 
afflictions,  the  death  of  Mr.  GAMBLE  has  called  forth  the 
greatest  number  of  expressions  of  sorrow,  and  the  funeral  was 
a  State  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  departed  son. 


ADDRESS  DELIVERED  BY  THE  REV.  D.  T.  BRADLEY.  AT  THE 
CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,  YANKTON. 

The  occasion  that  calls  us  together  to-day  is  one  that  has 
made  this  entire  community  to  bate  its  breath.  Perhaps  never 
in  the  history  of  this  community  has  there  been  an  event  that 
has  so  profoundly  moved  it,  or  so  suddenly  startled  it  with 
dismay  and  sorrow.  We  have  lost  our  chiefs  in  times  past, 
but  we  were  somewhat  warned  of  their  approaching  departure, 
and  we  watched  and  waited  while  the  lingering  hope  vanished. 
Not  so  with  us  now.  We  are  awakened  out  of  slumber  at 
early  dawn,  only  to  learn  that  the  heavy  stroke  had  fallen, 
and  that  our  brave  and  honored  chieftain  only  now>  walking  in 
health  among  us  would  speak  to  us  no  more.  The  stroke  has 
made  us  speechless  with  grief.  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that 


The  Funeral  Ceremonies.  9 

the  feeling  of  personal  loss,  and  especially  of  the  community's 
loss,  is  shared  by  men  of  every  faith  and  men  of  every  thought 
in  this  city.  While  men  live  they  are  rivals ;  they  are  oppo- 
nents often.  They  seek  similar  ends  by  different  methods 
and  disagree.  When  men  die,  rivalry  vanishes,  opposition  is 
quiet,  and  the  limits  of  the  city  contain  no  man  so  narrow 
who  is  not  glad  to  bring  his  meed  of  praise  to  him  who  loved 
his  people,  and  with  all  his  heart  and  power  of  mind  endeav- 
ored to  his  best  judgment  to  serve  them.  So  it  is  with  us 
to-day.  We  are  united  in  paying  our  respect  to  this  serva  t 
of  his  people,  this  man  who  loved  Yankton  and  South  Dakota, 
and  lived  for  their  honor  and  renown. 

Leadership  makes  it  impossible  in  our  democratic  communi- 
ties for  any  man  who  is  the  leader  to  become  universally 
popular.  Every  question  that  arises  for  settlement  in  the 
city  and  the  State  has  two  sides.  It  is  susceptible  of  being 
looked  upon  by  honest  men  from  opposing  points  of  view. 
Men  Avho  lead  in  these  opposing  views  incur  the  prejudice  of 
those  who  hold  different  opinions.  In  proportion  as  they  are 
earnest  and  successful,  in  that  proportion  do  they  have  strong 
public  foes.  In  the  strife  of  opinions  there  come  to  be  per- 
sonal estrangements,  coldness,  lack  of  sympathies.  Leadership 
has  this  burden  to  carry — the  burden  of  condemnation  from  a 
portion  of  the  community.  So  that  a  true  leader  of  men 
can  not  be  universally  popular.  But  he  can  be  universally 
respected.  Men  who  oppose  him  may  say  he  was  wrong  in  his 
opinion,  faulty  in  his  method,  short-sighted  in  his  outlook. 
And  the  reverse  is  said  by  those  who  follow  him  and  believe 
in  his  wisdom.  But  all  can  say  he  was  true  in  his  purpose, 
honest  in  his  convictions  and  brave  to  follow  them — lie  was 
loyal,  patriotic,  generous,  and  noble  in  character.  It  is  so 
with  us  to-day.  However  much  we  have  differed  in  our  views 
we  ca-u  agree  together  and  say  here  is  one  who  tried  with  his 


10  The  Funeral  Ceremonies. 

best  effort  to  serve  his  people,  and  spared  no  pains  to  give 
them  good  government  and  peace  and  prosperity.  A  man 
who  according  to  his  light  sought  justice  for  the  individual, 
prosperity  for  the  community,  and  honor  and  dignity  for  the 
State. 

It  has  been  plain  during  all  these  years  that  here  was  a  man 
who  had  in  an  eminent  degree  the  qualities  of  leadership.  It 
was  no  accident  that  made  his  brother  attorneys  in  all  this 
region  where  his  counsel  and  his  advocacy  were  known,  to  con- 
cede to  him  the  foremost  place.  It  was  no  accident  that  placed 
him  at  the  front  among  older  and  more  experienced  men  in 
political  life.  There  were  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  here,  not 
distributed  freely  among  all  men,  qualities  of  vision  that  could 
see  through  the  intricacies  and  mazes  of  a  legal  problem  or  a 
political  question  to  the  very  principle  that  lay  at  its  heart. 
That  quality  made  him  a  leader.  There  was  a  power  of  con- 
centration that  could  bring  all  the  faculties  to  bear  upon  the 
given  point,  long  enough  to  grasp  and  master  and  handle  it. 
That  was  no  common  quality  that  made  him  a  leader.  There 
was  a  quality  of  earnestness  here  which  having  led  him  to  take 
up  a  cause,  made  him  carry  it  through  with  tremendous  energy 
to  success.  No  one  could  question  the  earnestness  of  this  man, 
who,  whatever  he  undertook,  pushed  it  with  all  the  power  of  his 
nature,  regardless  of  obstacles.  Then  there  was  the  quality  of 
industry — tireless,  ceaseless  industry,  that  worked  brain  and 
nerve  and  body  until  all  fell  exhausted  under  the  tremendous 
purpose  of  the  will ;  that  was  a  marked  quality,  an  imperial 
quality.  Then  there  was  his  courage  that  would  lead  him  to 
undertake  hard  things,  and  things  that  made  other  men  cringe 
and  quail,  undertake  them  and  carry  them  bravely  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue.  There  was  a  quality  of  will — an  imperious  will, 
that  having  set  forth  to  attain  carried  him  to  the  goal  in  spite 
of  discouragement.  These  qualities  made  him  a  leader. 


The  Funeral  Ceremonies.  1 1 

It  is  vain  to  think  that  fortuitous  circumstances  or  lucky 
combinations  or  accidental  events  brought  to  the  very  front 
of  professional  and  political  honor  that  penniless  law  student 
who  arrived  here  in  1872  without  alliances,  without  office,  and 
without  influential  friends.  These  things  were  worked  out  - 
in  strenuous  toil,  by  a  gifted  soul  that  knew  its  powers  and 
iirdustriously  employed  them,  conquering  all  obstacles — ob- 
stacles that  were  by  no  means  few  or  feeble.  Men  in  this 
presence  knew  how  it  was  done,  and  how  while  other  men 
were  idling  or  were  sleeping  he  was  plodding  late  and  early 
at  the  books  or  the  papers,  or  studying  to  know  the  last  de- 
tail of  the  political  situation  or  the  trend  of  public  affairs. 

But  such  leadership  brings  with  it  grave  responsibilities 
and  serious  temptations.  There  are  opportunities  for  the 
leader  to  secure  temporary  success  by  dishonorable  means. 
It  is  sufficient  to  be  said  of  our  friend  in  his  various  public 
places  of  trust  his  integrity  of  character  has  never  been  im- 
peached. No  stain  of  corruption  ever  rested  against  his  pub- 
lic fame,  no  taint  of  pollution  ever  was  whispered  of  his  private 
life.  His  hands  were  clean  and  his  integrity  and  honor  he 
preserved  stainless  amid  the  contention  and  strife  of  eighteen 
years  of  earnest  and  persistent  public  effort  which  ended  in 
high  public  honor. 

I  think  it  will  be  generally  conceded  by  friend  and  partisan 
foe  alike,  that  when  the  votes  were  counted  last  November 
and  it  was  found  that  the  cause  he  had  espoused  had  triumphed 
in  this  State,  the  greatest  credit  for  stemmingthe  tide  of  defeat, 
for  courageously  meeting  the  people,  and  for  brave  utterances 
that  checked  disaster,  was  given  to  JOHN  JR.  GAMB.LE. 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  in  all  these  spheres  of  labor  he 
has  been  of  the  greatest  usefulness  to  the  community  and  to 
the  State.  There  is  a  sort  of  feeling  abroad,  indefinable  and 
hard  to  describe,  that  the  people  owe  no  debt  of  gratitude  to 


1 2  7'he  Funeral  Ceremonies. 

the  men  who  guide  the  affairs  of  the  State  in  times  of  peace, 
unless  they  accomplish  some  monumental  thing  that  lives  in 
history.  But  is  it  not  true  that  to  hold  the  State  or  com- 
munity true  to  its  ordinary  course,  to  give  it  chance  for  proper 
>  development,  to  shape  its  laws,  guide  its  policy,  to  manage  its 
machinery,  and  to  see  to  it  that  the  people  are  brought  up  to 
their  political  duty,  in  other  words  to  let  the  true  nature  of 
the  State  and  the  people  be  so  unhampered  and  unhindered  as 
to  permit  it  to  move  swiftly  and  smoothly  in  its  course  of  nor- 
mal prosperity — are  not  those  who  aid  in  the  accomplishment 
of  these  ends  worthy  of  our  deepest  gratitude  ?  In  time  of 
war  we  want  soldiers,  and  we  deck  their  brows  as  they  return 
victorious,  or  deck  their  graves  when  they  come  back  slain. 
But  in  peace  we  need  leaders  who  will  so  lead  that  peace  shall 
steadily  flow  on  untramineled  and  unimpeded ;  that  the 
genius  of  the  people  shall  have  no  check  and  drawback;  that 
the  will  of  the  majority  shall  have  sway.  We  need  to  be 
grateful  that  as  a  State  we  have  had  such  leaders,  and  that 
to-day,  as  a  commonwealth,  the  people  have  the  rule,  and  that 
they  are  checked  and  hindered  by  no  unnatural  and  needless 
obstacles,  and  that  the  honor  and  integrity  of  the  State  stands 
before  the  world  inferior  to  none.  For  these  results  and  for 
the  victories  of  peace  we  owe  to  such  men  as  our  friend  here 
a  debt  of  profound  gratitude. 

But  upon  these  matters  other  men  may  speak  more  wisely 
than  I,  and  the  public  press  has  already,  without  exception, 
whether  friend  or  public  opponent,  spoken  without  qualifica- 
tion and  with  perfect  unanimity  in  recognition  of  his  eminent 
public  services.  I  need  not  speak  further  of  this.  This  com- 
munity and  this  State  will  surely  miss  in  the  months  just  before 
us  the  strength  and  help  and  sound  judgment  of  this  man,  this 
capable  and  honored  citizen.  How  sorely  he  will  be  missed 
only  those  who  carry  the  heavy  burdens  of  the  community  can 
adequately  testify. 


The  Funeral  Ceremonies.  13 

I  will  speak  of  him  as  a  inau.  He  was  my  friend,  and  in 
these  brief  years  I  had  found  something  of  his  worth.  But 
those  of  you  who  worked  with  him,  those  of  you  who  had  found 
him  helpful  to  you  for  many  years  in  the  time  of  need,  and  I  know 
not  how  many  there  are  who  have  thus  found  him  a  helper; 
those  of  you  who  had  come  in  contact  with  his  generous  heart 
can  speak  of  this  better  than  I,  and  can  think  of  him.  and  his 
noble  service  in  personal  gratitude  to-day.  Some  men  come 
to  be  naturally  the  men  to  whom  others  go  for  favors  and  ben- 
efits. It  comes  to  be  expected  of  them  that  they  will  use  their 
time,  their  efforts,  their  money  in  the  way  of  conferring  per- 
sonal benefits  upon  all  who  need.  It  was  so  with  our  friend. 
Men  sought  him  from  far  aud  near  for  help.  I  do  not  now  re- 

v 

fer  to  professional  help,  but  to  other  help  for  which  there  was 
no  compensation  intended  or  expected,  and  they  received  it, 
and  time,  money,  influence,  all  was  freely  given  to  the  service 
of  those  who  sought  it. 

Then  again,  this  was  a  friendly  man.  He  had  a  friendly 
heart.  Men  did  not  easily  discover  it.  It  was  not  worn  upon 
the  sleeve.  It  was  not  manifested  in  the  ordinary  ways  and 
expressions.  It  was  found  only  after  time  had  passed,  and 
when  trial  and  trouble  had  tested  it,  and  penetrated  to  its  hid- 
den depths. 

These  brothers  and  sisters  who  for  these  long  years  have 
showed  the  love  of  an  unbroken  family,  especially  those  who 
worked  side  by  side — first  in  the  wheat  field,  then  in  the  school, 
and  then  in  this  ample  office;  these  men  who  have  grown 
mature  together,  who,  like  Jonathan  and  David,  have  been 
loyal  and  just  and  affectionate  under  circumstances  of  business 
relations  that  would  sorely  test  the  greatest  love — they  found 
this  man's  heart,  and  found  it  true.  These  others  who  have 
shared  the  shelter  of  this  happy  office  and  have  been  inspired 
to  higher  and  better  things  in  life  by  this  man,  found  his  heart 


14  The  Funeral  Ceremonies. 

and  found  it  generous.  These  public  men,  whom  the  people 
honor,  who  have  traveled  over  this  State  in  political  cam- 
paigns together,  and  together  with  him  have  entered  the  fierce 
strife  of  party  caucus  and  public  convention,  found  his  heart 
and  found  it  loyal. 

And  if  we  may  for  the  moment  enter  the  sacred  portals  of 
the  home  and  speak  of  her  to  whom  he  gave  the  full  meas- 
ure of  his  deepest  affection,  in  the  home  the  loyal  wife  who 
with  him  wrought  out  their  success,  found  his  heart  and  found 
it  always  undivided  and  unalterably  true. 

These  little  children,  about  whom  this  sturdy  man's  heart 
clung  with  the  affection  of  a  strong,  earnest  nature,  found  his 
heart  and  found  it  gentle,  noble,  and  affectionate. 

This  private  life  of  loyalty  and  love,  how  pleasant  it  is  to 
think  of?  How  the  memory  of  some  of  you  goes  back  to  the 
boyhood,  when  this  young  soul,  earnest  to  attain  the  better 
things,  inspired  by  a  sainted  mother  whose  spirit  and  whose 
faith  were  imparted  to  all  of  her  children,  stirred  by  a  right 
ambition,  went  away  from  home  and  by  dint  of  strenuous  effort, 
sacrifice,  and  economy,  helped  and  urged  on  by  the  older  ones 
of  the  family,  won  his  way  through  college'.  What  an  affec- 
tionate family,  inspiring  each  other  to  good  works,  toiling  to 
help  one  another  and  glad  to  see,  without  envy  or  unworthy 
thought,  the  success  of  the  other.  And  that  private  love  and 
loyalty  has  never  suffered  abatement,  never  known-  any  change. 

In  the  most  intricate  business  relations  there  was  needed  no 

» 
papers  of  agreements  or  contracts.    These  men  and  women 

trusted  one  another,  never  doubted  each  other,  nor  gave  oppor- 
tunity for  doubt,  and  when  one  suffered  all  suffered  together, 
and  when  one  succeeded  all  rejoiced.  It  is  a  consolation  to 
think  of  these  things  at  this  hour  when  the  earthly  tie  is  sun- 
dered and  the  charmed  circle  is  broken. 
I  have  spoken  ef  the  faith  of  our  friend.  He  received  a  her- 


The  Funeral  Ceremonies.  15 

itage  of  faith  from  a  devout  parent,  and  lie  kept  it  to  the  end. 
Unfortunately  in  the  stress  of  public  affairs  and  of  official  life, 
that  active  interest  in  the  spiritual  work  of  this  church,  of 
which  he  became  a  member  in  1875,  was  wanting,  and  both  his 
own  experience  and  the  work  of  this  church  felt  the  lack,  but 
he  was  ever  a  loyal  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  church,  and 
never  lost  faith  in  the  fundamentals  of  a  Christain  hope.  On 
the  great  principles  of  righteousness  his  views  were  those  of 
evangelical  religion,  and  in  more  than  one  conversation  on 
these  matters  I  have  found  him  heartily  in  accord  with  those 
fundamental  truths.  But  few  of  us  whose  •  lives  are  placed 
where  the  temptations  to  lose  sight  of  the  spiritual  are  only 
slight  can  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  adjusting  a  taxing  and 
trying  professional  and  public  political  life  to  the  deeper 
concerns  of  spiritual  things.  It  is  certain  that  many  of  our 
best  public  men  miss  a  great  source  of  strength  and  solace  in 
failing  to  secure  the  profounder  spiritual  influences,  and  the 
church  loses  the  strength  of  mind  and  judgment  that  it  should 
receive  from  them.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  those  who  are 
most  capable  of  receiving  the  deepest  spiritual  impressions  and 
impart  them  are  thus  deprived  of  the  support  and  the  serenity 
that  comes  from  keeping  a  firm  hold  on  spiritual  religion.  But 
with  our  friend  these  spiritual  things  were  not  despised  or 
counted  as  of  no  value.  It  was  simply  that  they  became  over- 
shadowed in  the  great  struggle  of  life.  The  hard,  incessant 
work  of  mind  and  body  left  little  time  for  the  things  of  faith. 
But  the  shadows  came.  In  the  prime  of  life  they  came.  In 
the  best  days  of  manhood  the  vital  powers  received  a  deadly 
blow.  It  was  prophetic  of  the  end  soon  to  come  that  our  friend 
made  special  efforts  to  finish  up  his  business  that  had  been 
accumulating,  and  get  all  the  old  cases  out  of  the  way.  He 
looked  upon  it  as  a  preparation  for  the  great  assembly  of  law- 
makers at  Washington,  where  he  was  to  have  an  honorable 


16  The  Funeral  Ceremonies. 

place  in  representing  bis  State.  Little  did  he  think  that  he 
should  so  soon  be  ushered  into  that  vaster  company  of  those 
who  have  suffered,  toiled,  and  struggled  in  the  battle  of  life, 
and  weary  with  its  strife  have  passed  over  'to  the  other  side. 
But  so  it  was  to  be.  The  end  came,  and  it  came  swiftly  and 
with  little  pain. 

May  we  not  trust  that  as  the  darkness  of  death  fell  upon 
the  strong,  earnest  soul  the  sun  of  righteousness  dawned  into 
his  heart  with  the  radiant  light  of  hope  and  faith.  May  we 
not  believe  that  as  the  tender  ministrations  of  a  loving  hand 
soothed  away  from  the  brow  the  agony  of  pain  the  profouuder 
ministrations  of  the  Divine  spirit  spoke  of  a  Savior's  love  and 
mercy  and  sins  cleansed  in  a  Eedeemer's  blood.  May  we  not 
hope  that  as  the  night  settled  thick  upon  the  fast  ebbing  life 
he  could  catch  the  breath  of  a  better  land  and  discern  a  ray  of 
light  from  the  brighter  morning. 

After  Mr.  Bradley,  Rev.  Mr.  Clough  prayed  most  eloquently 
for  the  final  rest  of  the  departed  soul,  the  choir  sang  "Lead 
kindly  light,"  and  the  funeral  procession  took  up  its  way  to 
the  cemetery.  At  the  grave  the  last  offices  of  the  church 
were  performed,  the  earth  was  deposited  upon  the  coffin,  and 
JOHN  K.  GAMBLE  took  his  place  in  memory,  there  to  'live 
in  devoted  remembrance  through  the  lapsing  years. 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 


ANNOUNCEMENT  OF  DEATH. 


JANUARY  5, 1892. 

Mr.  PICKLKB,  of  South  Dakota.  Mr.  Speaker,  a  melancholy 
duty  it  is,  that  I  announce  to  the  House  the  death  of  one  of 
its  members,  my  late  colleague,  the  Hon.  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE,  a 
Representative  from  the  State  of  South  Dakota. 

He  died  at  his  home  in  the  city  of  Yankton,  suddenly, .of 
heart  disease,  on  the  14th  day  of  August  last,  aged  43  years. 

Although  young  in  years,  and  as  humanity  reckons  too  young 
to  die,  he  lived  long  enough  to  impress  himself  upon  Lhe  his- 
tory of  his  young  State,  for  whose  admission  into  the  Union 
he  had  long  and  faithfully  labored. 

He  was  a  genial  gentleman,  a  talented  lawyer,  an  honest 
man,  a  favorite  with  the  people. 

He  was  honored  with  the  public  offices  of  district  attorney 
of  Yankton  County,  United  States  attorney  for  the  Territory 
of  Dakota;  as  a  member  of  both  branches  of  the  Territorial 
legislature;  as  a  member  of  one  of  its  constitutional  conven- 
tions; and  was  elected  to  the  Fifty-second  Congress,  tor  the 
duties  of  which  he  was  preparing  when  death  terminated  his 
young  manhood.  The  members  from  his  State  will  later  in 
the  session  ask  that  a  time  be  set  a  part,  that  appropriate  ac- 
tion may  be  taken  in  memory  of  the  deceased. 

17 
H.  Mis.  83 2 


18  '       Proceedings  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Mr.  Speaker,  I  now  ask  unanimous  consent  for  the  immedi- 
ate consideration  of  the  following'  resolution: 
The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  House  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  of  the  death 
of  Hon.  JOHX  R.  GAMBLE,  late  a  Representative  from  South  Dakota. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  his  memory  the  House  do  now 
adjourn. 

The  motion  was  agreed  to. 

And  accordingly  (at  3  o'clock  and  58  minutes  p.  in.)  the  House 
adjourned. 


EULOGIES. 


MARCH  12,  1892. 

The  SPEAKER.    The  Clerk  will  report  the  special  order. 
The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  Saturday,  March  12,  beginning  at  2  o'clock  p.  m.,  be  set 
apart  for  paying  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  late  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  large  from  the  State  of  South 
Dakota. 

Mr.  PICKLER.    Mr.  Speaker,  I  offer  the  resolutions  I  send 
to  the  desk. 
The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  House  be  now  suspended  that  an 
opportunity  be  given  for  tributes  to  the  memory  of  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE, 
late  a  Representative  at  large  from  the  State  of  South  Dakota. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  directed  to  communicate  a  copy  of  the  reso- 
lutions of  the  Seuato. 

Revolted,  That,  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  de- 
ceased and  his  public  services,  the  House,  at  the  conclusion  of  these  memo- 
rial proceedings,  shall  stand  adjourned. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  -PICKLER,  OF  SOUTH  DAKOTA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  It  is  seldom  the  House  commemorates  the 
death  of  a  member  so  young  as  he  who  is  the  subject  of  the 
special  order  of  to-day. 

The  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  my  late  colleague,  a  Represen- 
tative from  the  State  of  South  Dakota,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Alabama,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  15th  day  of  January, 

19 


20       Address  of 'Mr.  Pickler,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

1848,  and  died  at  his  home  in  the  city  of  Yankton  on  the  14th 
day  of  August,  1891,  aged  43  years  7  months  and  14  days,  and 
before  he  had  taken  his  seat  in  this  House. 

He  removed  with  his  people  to  Fox  Lake,  Wis.,  in  the  year 
1862. 

He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  attended  the  common  schools, 
was  active,  studious,  and  energetic.  He  was  at  the  head  of 
his  classes,  later  a  school-teacher  and  self-instructor. 

He  was  always  a  great  reader. 

He  entered  the  Lawrence  University  at  Appleton,  Wis.,  and 
graduated  in  1872,  first  in  his  class,  having  taken  a  full  clas- 
sical course.  He  paid  his  way  through  college  principally 
from  money  earned  teaching  school. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1873,  and  in  September  of 
the  same  year  removed  to  Yankton,  S.  Dak.,  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  law.  His  brother,  Robert  J.  Gamble,  joined 
him  in  1875.  and  the  two  entered  into  partnership  in  the 
practice  of  the  legal  profession  at  that  place,  which  partner- 
ship continued  until  the  death  of  JOHN. 

He  was  a  natural  debater,  a  persistent  and  energetic  stu- 
dent, and  rapidly  rose  to  distinction  at  the  bar. 

He  was  happily  married,  in  the  year  1875,  to  Fannie  Davis, 
a  daughter  of  Hon.  John  W.  Davis,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Wisconsin.  His  wife  and  their  three  children,  Lille  M.,  aged 
13;  Alice  J.,  aged  11,  and  John  W.,  aged  7  years,  survive 
him. 

His  brother  Robert,  his  law  partner,  himself  an  able  law- 
yer and  distinguished  citizen  of  the  State,  and  who  was  his 
most  intimate  associate,  says  of  him,  in  answer  to  my  inquiry 
concerning  his  brother's  history : 

"  For  two  years  we  roomed  together  while  at  college.  He 
was  always  an  inspiration  to  me  by  his  industry  and  enthu- 
siasm through  my  early  years  at  school  and  college  and  in  the 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  21 

practice  of  law.  He  was  capable,  until  the  last  few  years  of 
his  life,  of  accomplishing  more  work  in  the  same  amount  of 
time  than  any  other  person  with  whom  I  have  come  in  con- 
tact. This  was  characteristic  of  him  in  all  his  undertakings 
and  throughout  his  whole  life.  As  a  lawyer  I  regarded  him 
as  the  most  painstaking,  thorough,  efficient  one  I  ever  knew, 
not  only  in  his  preparation  in  the  law  but  as  to  all  the  details 
of  the  trial.  He  could  take  in  the  essential  and  prominent 
features  of  the  case  with  the  safest  judgment,  and  know  at 
first  upon  what  lines  the  contest  would  be  made,  and  with  the 
greatest  grasp  of  any  person  with  whom  I  have  ever  been 
associated.  In  all  his  contests  at  the  bar  he  was  always  pos- 
sessed of  indomitable  persistency  and  would  never  give  up. 
He  was  always  conservative  in  his  judgment,  and  appeared 
to  have  an  instinct  of  the  reasons  .of  the  law  and  the  princi- 
ples applicable  to  each  case  in  hand.  He  was  strictly  honest 
in  his  practice  as  a  lawyer,  and  would  scorn  to  do  anything 
mean  or  low,  even  though  it  might  be  of  temporary  advantage 
to  him  m  his  practice.  This  was  characteristic  of  him  in  all 
his  business  transactions.  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  heard, 
through  all  my  business  with  him,  of  any  person  who  inti- 
mated a  word  as  to  his  integrity  or  truthfulness. 

"He  was  positive  in  his  convictions,  and  under  all  circum- 
stances was  loyal  to  principle  as  well  as  party.  At  times  he 
was  subjected  to  severe  criticism;  it  would  naturally  arise 
from  the  bitter  contests  involved ;  but  through  it  all,  whether 
local  or  during  his  connection  with  Territorial  politics,  I  think 
even  his  bitterest  enemies  accorded  him  political  honesty,  and 
that  in  no  case  did  they  ever  charge  him  with  the  betrayal 
of  a  friend-  or  anything  that  would  be  construed  as  dishonest 
or  dishonorable. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  noble  instincts,  and  it  is  of  the  greatest 
bereavement  to  me  that  his  life  was  so  untimely  cut  off.  I 


Address  of  Mr.  Pickler,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

deeply  miss  him  and  his  aid  and  counsel,  and  there  is  scarce 
a  book  in  the  library  or  an  article  about  the  office  which  is  not 
a  constant  reminder  of  him." 

In  this  noble  and  truthful  tribute  of  a  loving-  brother  every 
one  acquainted  with  his  true  character  will  cordially  join. 

The  unexpected  announcement  of  his  death  produced  a  shock 
to  the  people  of  the  State  seldom  if  ever  before  felt  at  the 
death  of  any  other  citizen.  From  a  human  standpoint  his  time 
had  not  come.  This  conclusion  is  one  of  the  common  mistakes 
of  humanity.  A  life's  usefulness  is  not  always  measured  by 
the  years  it  numbers.  A  man's  success  is  not  recorded  by  the 
months  of  the  calendar.  History  is  rich  in  examples  of  men 
whom  death  has  claimed  in  young-  manhood,  who,  by  their  in- 
dustry, perseverance,  genius,  great  hearts,  and  nobility  of 
character,  are — 

Of  the  few,  the  immortal  names, 
That  were  not  born  to  die. 

JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  lived  long  enough  to  impress  himself  in- 
delibly upon  the  history  of  his  young  Commonwealth,  to  stamp 
his  thought  into  its  formative  period,  to  have  been  at  various 
times  honored  with  positions  of  trust  in  its  government,  and 
until  he  had  entered  upon  an  enlarged  field  of  action  as  its 
representative  in  the  councils  of  the  nation,  placed  there  by 
the  popular  voice  of  the  people  of  the  State — a  life  long 
enough  to  establish  a  character  for  honesty,  integrity,  and 
ability  that  has  endeared  him  to  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and 
which  will  perpetuate  his  memory  in  the  long  years  to  come  as 
one  of  the  State's  tried  and  most  trusted  public  servants. 

He  was  a  politician — a  politician  in  the  broader  and  better 
sense  of  the  term.  Where,  under  the  present  classification  in 
American  politics,  the  line  separating  the  politician  from  the 
statesman  shall  be  drawn,  is  a  difficult  question  to  answer. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  23 

To  define  what  duties  performed  constitute  the  politician, 
and  what  others  the  statesman,  remains  an  unsolved  problem. 
The  politician  in  the  broader,  better,  and  higher  sense  is  the 
statesman.  Such  were  the  characteristics  of  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE. 
He  was  an  honest  politician,  he  was  a  citizen  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  his  State,  he  was  alive  to  the  public  welfare,  and  de- 
sired the  best  government  for  the  Gommomvealth.  He  was 
loyal  to  her  aims  and  interests,  and  he  had  faith  in  her  success. 
He  came  to  her  when  a  Territory;  he  battled  in  her  develop- 
ment. He  was  fixed  in  principle  and  stable  in  character. 
While  firm  in  his  own  opinions,  he  was  tolerant  of  those  who 
differed  from  him. 

Had  death  spared  him,  he  would  have  been  found  in  the  na- 
tional Congress,  bringing  the  same  ability,  industry,  and  perse- 
verance to'  bear  upon  national  questions  that  had  characterized 
him  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  own  State.  The  nation  would 
have  learned  of  him  what  the  State  had  known  for  years  past. 

Logical  in  the  treatment  of  questions,  a  master  in  the  com- 
mittee room,  argumentative  in  debate,  clear  in  presentation, 
and  earnest  in  advocacy,  his  ability  would  have  impressed 
itself  upon  the  affairs  of  the  country. 

The  history  of  the  State  and  its  long  struggle  fqr  statehood 
would  be  wholly  incomplete  without  the  connection  of  JOHN 
R.  GAMBLE  therewith.  And  in  the  great  contest  for  the  di- 
vision of  the  Territory  he  stood  firm  and  immovable  for  the 
division.  I  am  fully  convinced  that  there  were  more  times 
than  one  during  that  memorable  and  most  important  contest 
that  if  a  half  dozen  of  the  old  leaders,  including  GAMBLE, 
had  wavered  in  their  support  division  would  have  been  lost, 
and  the  great  possibilities  of  two  States  would  have  been  for- 
ever sacrificed. 

Who  can  estimate  his  and  his  colleagues'  great  work  in  lead- 
ing in  the  accomplishment  of  this  grand  result,  forming  two 


24        Address  of  Mr.  Pickler,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

States  instead  of  one,  to  continue  during  the  existence  of  the 
American  Union,  with  all  the  grand  possibilities  that  two 
States  have .  more  than  one  ?  Nor  can  we  of  this  generation 
even  contemplate  the  importance  nor  what  it  may  mean  in  the 
years  of  the  future,  by  the  two  additional  votes  in  the  United 
States  Senate  in  the  contests  for  supremacy  which  may  arise 
between  the  different  localities  of  the  nation. 

It  was  political  sagacity  and  true  statesmanship  that  in- 
spired such  leaders  as  GAMBLE  to  persevere  against  all  oppo- 
sition until  two  States  were  carved  from  the  broad  Dakota 
Territory  of  the  Northwest. 

The  flag  of  our  country  will  for  all  time  be  indebted  to  these 
men  for  an  additional  star.  Their  acts  grow  great  in  impor- 
tance as  the  years  go  by.  To  divine  the  magnitude  of  this 
deed  is  to  measure  the  possibilities  of  a  coming  great  Common- 
wealth in  all  the  future  years. 

No  member  of  the  legislature  of  1885  from  the  southern  half 
of  the  Territory  which  met  at  Bismarck  can  forget  what  a  tower 
of  strength  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  then  serving  in  the  council,  was 
in  the  consideration  of  all  questions  which  tended  to  make 
division  certain  and  further  the  interests  of  South  Dakota. 

I  have  no, hesitation  in  saying  that  for  severity,  continuance, 
fierceness,  and  equality  of  strength,  no  contest  in  the  Territory 
or  State  has  surpassed  the  struggle  of  the  men  of  the  South  in 
that  legislature  against  the  men  of  the  North  in  the  attempt 
of  the  former  to  remove  the  capital  of  the  Territory  from  Bis- 
marck to  Pierre. 

The  people  of  the  South,  owing  to  their  remoteness  from  the 
scene  of  conflict,  never  fully  realized  the  magnitude  of  the  un- 
dertaking of  their  members  in  the  passage  of  this  measure; 
their  heroic  endurance  during  all  the  weeks  of  the  struggle; 
nor  their  chagrin  and  disappointment  when,  after  its  hual  pas- 
sage, the  results  of  their  arduous  labors  were  dashed  to  the 
ground  by  the  governor's  veto. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  25 

As  a  member  of  that  house,  closely  watching  the  action  of 
the  other  and  upper  body,  I  may  say  that  that  legislative 
council,  never,  in  my  opinion,  has  been  surpassed  in  ability 
by  either  branch  of  a  Dakota  legislature,  either  Territorial 
or  State. 

My  deceased  colleague  was  an  acknowledged  leader  in  that 
council;  and  in  the  contest  alluded  to,  a  contest  which  was  en- 
tered upon  by  the  members  of  South  Dakota  more  to  empha- 
size the  determination  of  the  people  of  the  South  to  battle  to 
the  end  and  by  all  legitimate  means  for  the  division  of  the 
Territory  than  from  the  desire  to  change  its  capital,  JOHN  E. 
GAMBLE,  the  member  from  Yankton  County,  from  the  first 
reading  of  the  bill  to  the  vote  to  lay  on  the  table  the  motion 
to  reconsider  the  vote  by  which  it  was  passed,  was  its  firm, 
unflinching,  able,  and  determined  advocate. 

And  right  royally  were  these  leaders  for  the  division  of  the 
Territory  supported  by  practically  all  the  people  of  the  pres- 
ent State  of  South  Dakota.  No  people  were  ever  more  con- 
scientious in  an  opinion  than  were  the  people  of  the  south 
half  of  the  Territory  that  the  division  of  this  large  Territory 
into  two  States  was  for  the  highest  interests  of  both  sections, 
and  seldom  if  ever  were  a  people  more  determined,  more  pa- 
tient, and  more  persistent  in  battling  for  any  object  than  were 
the  patriotic,  wise,  and  farseeing  citizens  of  South  Dakota, 
struggling  for  division  through  long  years  of  trial  and  disap- 
pointment to  a  final  and  grand  success. 

They  builded  better  than  they  knew,  as  will  more  clearly 
appear  as  the  years  go  by. 

And  it  is  safe  to  say  that  a  people  with  the  vigor,  determi- 
nation, and  intelligence  exhibited  in  the  contest  for  division 
by  the  people  of  South  Dakota  will  erect  a  State  worthy  of 
the  honored  sisterhood  into  which  it  lias  been  admitted — a 
State  whose  history  shall  be  a  fitting  crown  of  the  efforts  of 


26       Address  of  Mr.  Pickler,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

JOHN  R.  GAMBLE  and  the  people  whom  he  was  elected  to  rep- 
resent in  the  Fifty-second  Congress. 

The  life  of  my  late  colleague  is  an  added  example  of  the  benefi- 
cence of  our  republican  form  of  government,  and  the  large 
possibilities  that  are  open  to  the  earnest,  energetic,  deter- 
mined American  youth. 

A  poor  boy,  acquiring  his  education  almost  solely  through  his 
own  earnings  and  exertion,  he  supplemented  the  same  by  a  thor- 
ough course  in  law,  rising  to  distinction  in  that  profession,  to 
rank  among  the  first  lawyers  of  his  State.  "Political  preferment 
was  likewise  accorded  him  at  various  times. 

He  was  honored  with  the  public  offices  of  district  attorney  of 
Yankton  County  and  United  States  attorney  of  the  Territory 
of  Dakota;  was  a  member  of  both  branches  of  the  Territorial 
legislature;  a  member  of  one  of  its  constitutional  conventions, 
and  was  elected  to  the  Fifty-second  Congress,  for  the  duties  of 
which  he  was  preparing  when  death  terminated  his  young  man- 
hood. 

He  visited  the  House  during  the  closing  days  of  the  Fifty- 
first  Congress.  He  was  deeply  interested  in  all  that  tran- 
spired, noting  the  methods  of  procedure,  familiarizing  him- 
self with  the  rules,  inquiring  as  to  the  details  or  business,  and 
in  every  way  striving  to  equip  himself  to  render  the  best  serv- 
ice to  his  constituents. 

We  were  elected  at  large  as  Representatives  from  our  State 
upon  the  same  ticket,  and  in  our  frequent  communications  and 
consultations,  until  his  death,  his  fair  and  frank  conduct  in 
the  treatment  of  various  public  matters  had  drawn  me  toward 
him  with  a  warm  regard,  and  I  felt  the  growth  of  a  personal 
friendship,  from  which  I  contemplated  much  pleasure  as  well 
as  profit  in  the  future. 

His  death  is  a  calamity  to  the  State,  to  myself  a  source  of 
real  bereavement. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  27 

His  character  was  that  of  the  frank,  rugged,  resolute,  West- 
ern pioneer.  He  loved  the  new  land  into  which  he  caine  in  its 
very  early  history.  His  mind  was  as  broad  as  the  boundless 
prairie  in  which  his  life  was  spent;  his  will  as  resistless  as 
its  winter's  storm ;  his  spirit  as  genial  as  its  summer  breeze ; 
his  purpose  as  constant  as  the  flow  of  the  great  river  upon 
whose  banks  he  dwelt,  and  attuned  to  whose  measured  mur- 
mur his  life  went  on.  . 

He  will  be  missed  by  the  courts  of  the  State  in  his  clear,  log- 
ical and  painstaking  presentation  of  the  contentions  of  which 
he  was  an  advocate.  He  will  be  missed  by  the  members  of  the 
bar  in  his  genial,  jovial,  kind-hearted  intercourse  with  them. 

He  will  be  missed  by  the  Eepublican  party  of  the  State  in 
its  councils,  consultations,  and  conventions.  He  will  be  missed 
by  a  large  concourse  of  friends  in  both  Dakotas,  drawn  to  him 
by  long  years  of  pleasant  and  intimate  associations  while  the 
States  comprised  one  Territory. 

He  will  be  missed  by  his  fellow-townsmen  in  his  own  city, 
with  whom  he  had  so  long  gone  in  and  out,  and  whose  esteem 
he  had  won  as  a  high-minded,  public-spirited  citizen. 

But  above  all,  and  more  than  all,  he  will  be  missed  by  that 
wife  with  whom  he  had  so  long  traveled  life's  journey,  who  had 
lovingly  shared  in  his  trials  and  ambitions  and  rejoiced  in  his 
successes  and  achievements.  Her  sorrow  is  her  own.  And 
his  children,  to  whom  he  was  a  peculiarly  tender  and  affection- 
ate father,  will  miss  him  and  mourn  his  loss  with  the  over- 
whelming grief  that  only  comes  to  the  child  in  the  loss  of  a 
parent. 

To  the  stricken  wife  and  children  in  this  day  of  their  trouble 
I  desire  to  tender  the  sincere  sympathy  of  the  people  of  the 
whole  State,  commending  them  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
Father  of  all. 


28  Address  of  Mr.   Perkins,  of  Iowa,  on  the 

Kindly  in  nature,  generous  in  disposition,  true  in  friendship, 
the  people  of  South  Dakota  inourn  his  loss. 

For  honesty  of  purpose,  devotion  to  principle,  and  nobility 
of  character  the  life  of  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  affords  an  illustrious 
example  to  the  people  of  his  State. 

Peace  to  his  ashes,  honor  to  his  memory. 

Fleet  foot  on  the  correi , 

Sage  counsel  in  cumber, 
Red  hand  in  the  foray, 

How  sound  is  thy  slumber ! 

Like  the  dew  on  the  mountain, 
.        Like  the  foam  on  the  river, 
Like  the  bubble  on  tl  e  fountain, 
Thou  art  gone,  and  forever ! 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  PERKINS,  OF  IOWA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  In  August,  1891,  in  the  summer  days,  the 
mortal  life  of  JOHN  EANKIN  GAMBLE  suddenly  went  out.  In 
the  previous  November  he  had  been  elected  by  the  people  of 
his  young  State  to  a  seat  in  this  House.  For  eighteen  years 
his  home  had  been  at  Yankton,  the  old  capital  of  the  great 
Territory.  From  the  wilderness,  threaded  by  the  turbid  Mis- 
souri and  stretching  northward  to  the  British  possessions,  he 
lived  to  see  two  States  of  this  Union  fashioned. 

He  lived  to  see  the  thought  of  his  OAYU  mind  blazoned  in  im- 
mortal stars  upon  the  flag  of  the  great  Eepnblic.  What  this 
meant  to  him  I  know  something;  for  my  home  is  just  over 
the  border  in  Iowa,  on  the  same  river,  and  from  the  bluffs  that 
skirt  it  I  can  look  over  on  the  plane  of  that  promised  land 
stretching  out  between  the  Missouri  and  the  Big  Sioux  rivers 
like  a  diamond.  The  work  of  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  was  done  at 
home.  He  was  loyal  to  his  own  country  and  to  his  own  people. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  29 

By  inherent  strength  of  purpose  and  character  he  was  a  chief 
among  them.    .He  fought  a  good  fight. 

His  life  was  not  peaceful.  It  was  a  life  of  strong  contention. 
He  was  a  leader  upon  issues  that  appealed  to  the  courage  and 
to  the  patriotism  of  men,  for  in  his  time  were  determined  ques- 
tions whose  relationship  was  beyond  his  day,  beyond  his  gen- 
eration, beyond  his  century — aye,  Mr.  Speaker,  whose  rela- 
tionship is*  with  all  the  years  of  the  measureless  future.  The 
battles  he  fought,  the  victories  he  helped  to  win,  were  not  for 
himself,  save  as  he  was  one  of  all ;( they  were  battles  fought 
and  victories  won  for  the  children  and  the  children's  children, 
for  the  time  being  and  for  all  time,  for  the  Dakotas  and  for  the 
great  sisterhood  into  which  they  have  -come. 

The  American  spirit  is  generous  toward  achievement.  It 
does  not  crown  the  family  name,  it  does  not  dignify  lineage,  it 
gives  no  approval  to  title,  but  it  crowns  and  dignifies  and  ap- 
proves that  nobility  of  personal  character,  that 'loyalty  of  serv- 
ice, that  excellence  of  the  life  of  the  individual  with  which, 
from  whatever  origin  and  over  whatever  pathway,  he  may  be 
able  to  characterize  himself. 

In  our  American  civilization  lio  bar  is  raised  against  any 
man.  The  kingdom  may  be  his  in  this  kingly  land.  And  I  am 
glad  here  to-day,  Mr.  Speaker,  in  this  presence,  to  point  the 
American  boy,  the  poor,  the  tried,  whosoever  in  his  environ- 
ment looks  at  every  turn  into  the  haid  face  of  discouragement, 
to  the  life  and  example  and  triumph  of  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE. 

I  need  not  follow  his  record  minutely.  Others  are  better 
qualified  to  do  that.  But  here  in  the  far  East,  in  the  great 
Empire  State  of  New  York,  he  was  born,  no  longer  ago  than 
1848.  He  was  a  farmer  boy.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry. 
He  had  from  his  mother's  side  the  blood  of  Andrew  Jackson 
in  his  veins.  That  he  had  resolution,  that  he  had  strength  of 


30  Address  of  Mr.  Perkins,  of  Iowa,  on  the 

purpose,  that  lie  had  courage,  no  one  who  ever  knew  him  ever 
questioned.  He  was  born  to  battle  and  ready  armed. 

At  14  years  of  age  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Wisconsin, 
where  the  farm  life  was  continued.  He  keenly  appreciated 
the  importance  of  an  education,  and  it  was  a  happy  day  for 
him  when,  in  1867,  he  became  a  student  in  Appleton  Univer- 
sity, and  a  proud  day  for  him  when,  in  1872,  triumphant 
against  all  the  odds  of  poverty,  he  graduated  the  first  of  his 
class.  Like  many  others,  he  helped  himself  along  at  intervals 
by  teaching  school.  A  simple  story,  familiar  through  repe- 
tition. 

The  silken  thread  binds  many  men  and  families  together. 
The  jewels  men  grown  old  and  growing  old  hold  priceless  in 
the  security  of  their  memories  are  earnings  of  their  self-denial 
and  of  their  self-sacrifice,  the  fruits  of  which  enriched  their 
minds  and  added  strength  and  fortitude  to  their  characters, 
and  overflowed*  into  the  lives  of  others.  There  is  no  reward, 
Mr.  Speaker,  which  outlasts  life  and  sweetens  all  life  save  that 
won  in  deprivation,  in  hard  struggle,  in  pursuit  of  a  standard 
set  higher  than  personal  ambition.  We  prize  those  things 
which  cost  us  dearest;  Ave  knit  ourselves  into  other  lives  as 
we  make  those  lives  our  life.  The  way  to  glory  is  the  humble 
way  of  service;  the  shining  way  is  the  way  of  sacrifice,  and 
the  retrospect  lights  up  radiantly  in  the  measure  of  the  hero- 
ism, the  patriotism,  the  love,  in  which  hope  kept  courage 
company  in  the  struggle  through  the  years,  by  day  and  by 
night.  All  final  recompense  in  living  for  self  is  in  living  and 
doing  for  others. 

In  August,  1873,  Mr.  CTAMBLB  was  admitted  to  the  bar  to 
practice  law,  and  a  month  later,  a  young  man  of  25  years  of 
age,  he  appeared  in  Yauktou,  Dakota  Territory,  to  make 
a  home.  Two  years  later,  at  Fox  Lake,  Wis.,  he  was  mar- 
ried. His  wife  and  three  children  survive  him.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  his  age  was  43  years  7  months  and  13  days. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  31 

Mr.  GAMBLE  was  an  active  participant  in  all  the  sharp  con- 
tests of  the  people  of  the  Territory  pending  its  final  division- 
and  admission  into  the  Union  as  North  and  South  Dakota. 
Few  about  me  here  to-day  can  realize  the  vigor  of  those  con- 
tests or  appreciate  the  magnitude  of  the  issues  involved.  He 
never  faltered  in  his  loyalty  to  the  city  of  his  adoption,  up  to 
1883  the  capital  of  the  Territory.  In  that  year,  following  a 
remarkable  contest,  the  capital  was  removed  to  Bismarck,  a 
city  created  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Eailroad  at  the  crossing 
of  the  Missouri  River.  The  removal  was  involved  in  the 
division  and  statehood  question,  and  Mr.  GAMBLE,  putting 
behind  him  all  minor  questions,  held  his  leadership  as  a  pru- 
dent counselor  in  the  greater  contest  which  terminated  in  the 
fall  of  1889 — statehood  for  North  and  South  Dakota. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  was  district  attorney  for  Yankton  County  from 
1876  to  1878;  he  succeeded  Col.  Pound,  on  his  death,  as  United 
States  district  attorney,  which  office  he  held  until  the  appoint- 
ment of  H.  J.  Campbell  in  1878;  he  was  a  member  of  the"  Terri- 
torial house  from  Yankton  County  in  1877, 1878,  and  1879,  and 
a  member  of  the  Territorial  council  from  1881  to  1885,  inclusive. 

1  simply  cite  the  record  to  establish  my  point  that  his  activity 
in  public  affairs  was  continuous.  He  was  not  ambitious  for 
public  office;  he  was  ambitious  to  be  of  help  in  directing  the 
policy  of  the  new  country  into  the  best  channels.  The  antag- 
onisms at  times  were  extreme;  the  divisions  at  times  were  bit- 
ter— and  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE  was  always  where  the  fight  was 
thickest. 

And  yet,  Mr.  Speaker,  no  tribute  to  his  memory  is  equal  to 
this,  that  every  shred  of  enmity  was  blotted  out  of  every  heart 
when  the  news  was  spread  that  August  day  that  JOHN  R. 
GAMBLE  was  dead !  All  the  war  was  over.  All  now  were  the 
tender  friends  of  the  one  gone  hence  in  a  night  from  the  activ- 
ities of  this  life  into  the  shoreless  life  hidden  in  eternity.  All 


32  Address  of  Mr.  Perkins,  of  Iowa,  on  the 

now  were  rich  in  sympathy,  whereof  human  nature  is  so  con- 
strained to  make  concealment,  toward  those  in  the  narrow  cft- 
cle  of  the  stricken  home  whence  the  life  of  the  tender  husband 
and  loving  father  had  gone  out,  and  upon  which  the  shadow 
impenetrable  had  settled.  And  why?  Because  at  last  to 
every  man  comes  justice.  Because  at  last  the  character  grown 
in  the  slow  years  shines  out  in  the  night  of  death,  and  illumines 
the  way  of  the  soul's  grandeur  and  immortality. 

There  are  no  riches,  Mr.  Speaker,  comparable  to  the  riches 
of  character.  It  is  the  light  of  man's  immortality.  It  is  the 
anchorage  of  the  soul.  It  is  the  shield  against  malice.  It  is 
the  light  in  which  some  day,  near  or  far,  we  may  see  eye  to 
eye.  It  establishes  in  all  the  world  its  kinship,  and,  to  the 
grave,  if  sadly  not  before,  it  brings  the  homage  as  it  is  known 
of  all  its  kindred.  And  thus  it  is  to  be  victor  over  death  and 
the  grave.  In  this  ultimate  triumph  JOHN  GAMBLE  died !  It 
is  my  royal  privilege  here  to-day,  his  neighbor  and  his  friend, 
to  commend  the  story  of  his  resolute  life  to  the  American 
people. 

We  lose  ourselves,  Mr.  Speaker,  in  the  byways  of  our  lives. 
Death  calls  us  home.  Death  unlocks  a  life  and  lets  it  out  into 
'the  infinite  world,  and  death  unlocks  the  secret  chambers  of 
our  hearts  and  lets  forth  the  sweet  sympathies  which  refresh 
as  a  heavenly  shower  the  pinched  and  parched  ground  of  our 
small  ambitions  and  narrow  and  selfish  prejudices 

There  is  but  the  one  ambition  worthy  of  an  American  citi- 
zen ;  and  that,  Mr.  Speaker,  is  to  be  a  loyal  soldier  in  the  army 
of  truth.  Where  truth  is  God  is.  To  be  in  the  company  and 
in  the  service  of  truth  is  to  be  in  the  company  and  in  the  serv- 
ice of  the  Everlasting ! 

The  absolute  is  beyond  our  reach — beyond  our  comprehen- 
sion. Contradictions  are  much  in  company.  In  each  of  our 
lives,  as  we  know,  are  battlefields  upon  which  the  opposing 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  33 

forces  of  our  nature  go  ofteu  to  contest,  where  they  make 
truce,  and  where  they  camp.  If  truth  shall  have  most  of  vic- 
tory finally  j  if  final  surrender  to  other'  leadership  shall  never 
have  been ;  if  in  the  night  of  death  love  comes  in  benediction — 
blessed  be  God,  our  Father ! 

It  is  well,  Mr.  Speaker,  that  we  who  are  here  in  this  House 
come  at  times  and  look  into  that  common  grave  where  we  all 
soon  must  sleep.  There  is  pain  in  it,  but  there  is  exaltation  in 
it,  and  in  that  exaltation  we  rise  above  the  petty  discords  of 
the  working  day,  out  of  the  partisan  bickerings  of  narrow  liv- 
ing, and  turn  our  eyes  upward  from  the  gloom  of  the  narrow 
home  into  the  glory  of  the  home  of  peace  and  of  perfect  and 
eternal  liberty.  Aye,  Mr.  Speaker,  disarmed  of  all  enmity, 
listening  to  the  music  faintly  floating  in  upon  our  weary  souls 
from  the  far-oflf  morning  stars,  we  catch  a  shadowy  picture  of 
the  perfect  union  where  love  reigns,  where  foul  suspicion  conies 
not,  where  truth  has  no  rival,  where  the  understanding  is  un- 
clouded, where  death  is  not  and  life  is — life  in  its  fullness,  in 
its  richness,  in  its  sweetness  evermore. 

Are  we  the  representatives  of  the  American  people1?  May 
we  natter  ourselves  that  out  of  the  sloughs  of  political  life  we 
have  been  brought  here  as  types  of  a  people  unrivaled  on  the 
earth  in  power  of  self-government!  Then  let  us  remember 
how  short  the  day  is,  and  how  the  life  that  is  and  the  truth 
that  is  born  or  given  wings  in  the  hour  make  in  feebleness  or 
in  strength  an  eternal  flight. 

The  sun  that  disappears  at  evening  in  a  bank  of  clouds  or 
in  the  glory  of  a  golden  sky  will  return  again  and  again  as  the 
wonderful  flight  of  the  earth  goes  on.  Error  may  live  long, 
but  obliteration  will  overtake  it  finally.  Truth  alone  is  born 
to  immortality.  The  life  that  is  of  true  nobility  is  the  life  of 
service;  not  service  of  self,  not  a  life  of  scheming  for  personal 
gain  through  false  pretense.  The  life  that  is  of  true  nobility 
*H.  Mis.  83 3 


34       Address  of  Mr.  Johnson,  of  North  Dakota,  on  the 

is  the  life  of  honest  service  of  one's  people.  Thus  is  one  iu 
humility  exalted.  Thus  is  one  who  casts  himself  down 
lifted  up. 

We  honor  our  dead  always  for  what  they  did  for  others ;  we 
cast  away  the  follies,  we  put  the  weaknesses  under  our  feet, 
and  we  bring  forth  the  tried  gold  of  the  ultimate  character, 
and  before  it  our  souls  bow,  for  in  it  we  see  eternal  life,  the 
kin  of  our  better  lives,  the  hope  immortal,  the  indwelling 
God !  In  the  tender  testimonies  we  offer  to  our  dead  we  give 
testimonies  to  those  ambitions,  to  that  loyalty  of  service,  to 
those  ideals  of  citizenship  which  ought,  in  the  fullness  of  our 
strength,  to  control  every  action  and  purpose  here. 

It  is  not  so  much,  Mr.  Speaker,  that  we  shall  have  reward 
at  the  hands  of  our  fellows,  or  vindication  from  them;  but 
that  in  the  clear  light  of  our  personal  insight  into  the  secrets 
of  our  own  lives  we  may  have  justification  unto  ourselves—- 
the unspotted  and  kingly,  aye,  Godly  crown  of  our  own  con- 
sciences. 

JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  died  a  young  man.  He  was  on  the 
threshold  of  larger  opportunities.  But  out  of  the  tanglewood 
of  his  life,  through  the  hard  struggles  with  poverty,  out  of  the 
contentions  of  the  years,  the  immortelles  of  his  sturdy  charac- 
ter and  work  marks  the  place  where  he  sleeps  and  will  keep 
green  in  the  memory  of  the  Dakotas  his  name. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  JOHNSON,  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA. 

MR.  SPEAKER:  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  was  born  in  Genesee 
County,  State  of  Kew  York,  on  the  15th  of  January,  1848.  He 
inherited  neither  rank  nor  wealth,  but  what  was  more  signifi- 
cant and  more  to  his  advantage  as  a  candidate  for  recognition 
as  one  of  nature's  noblemen  in  the  equal  contest  of  American 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  35 

citizenship,  he  inherited  a  mens  sana  in  corpore  sano  and  all 
the  natural  instincts  and  traditions  of  a  patriotic,  a  virtuous, 
and  a  pious  race,  his  ancestry  being  Scotch-Irish,  his  mother 
a  third  cousin  of  Andrew  Jackson. 

At  the  age  of  14  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  the  State 
of  Wisconsin,  and  at  the  age  of  25  he  again  followed  the  star 
of  empire  in  its  westward  march  to  the  Territory  of  Dakota. 

We  ask  especially  the  participation  and  sympathy  of  the 
members  from  New  York  and  Wisconsin  while  we  pay  these 
last  tributes  of  aifection  and  respect  to  the  memory  of  our 
honored  dead. 

His  nativity  and  golden  days  of  happy  childhood  for  four- 
teen years  belong  to  the  great  Empire  State  of  New  York. 

His  youth  and  education  for  eleven  years,  devoted  to  the 
development  of  intellectual  and  moral  power  and  crowded 
with  achievement  and  promise  at  school  and  in  college,  belong 
to  our  noble  sister  State  of  Wisconsin.  His  manhood  years 
and  earnest  life  work  for  eighteen  years  as  a  frontiersman,  a  cit- 
izen, a  jurist,  and  a  statesman,  crowned  with  all  the  honors  and 
emoluments  that  a  brave  and  grateful  people  could  lay  at  his 
feet,  belong  to  the  Dakotas.  His  fame,  his  example,  his  con- 
duct, so  well  calculated  to  inspire  the  youth  of  this  land  with 
hope  and  courage,  with  a  lofty  and  a  noble  ambition,  belong 
not  merely  to  the  keeping  of  the  records  of  this  House,  but 
have  become  a  part  of  the  true  wealth  of  the  whole  Eepublic, 
while  the  great,  manly  soul  of  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE  belongs 
in  the  eternal  years  of  God  to  the  omnipotent  power  which 
made  it. 

As  boy  or  man,  at  work  or  play,  at  home  or  in  school,  he 
was  always  a  natural  leader.  Beared  in  a  large  family,  where 
there  were  no  drones,  and  where  necessity  as  well  as  principle 
required  each  member  of  the  family  to  contribute  a  share  in 
earning  the  daily  bread  for  the  common  support  of  the  house- 


36       Address  of  Mr.  Johnson,  of  North  Dakota,  on  the 

hold,  he  was  ever  a  dutiful  son  and  an  affectionate  brother. 
He  must  be  esteemed  fortunate  that  his  early  life  knew  neither 
the  hopelessness  of  extreme  poverty  nor  the  lassitude  of  in- 
herited wealth,  which,  by  eliminating  the  immediate  and 
apparent  necessity  for  work,  destroys  the  incentives  to  per- 
sonal effort  and  a  just  appreciation  of  the  true  dignity  of  labor. 
His  was  the  golden  mean — answer  to  the  pious  application, 
"Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches."  He  was  an  omnivor- 
ous reader,  a  thorough  student,  and  a  delightful  companion. 
His  preparation  for  college  was  broad  and  ample.  His  mind 
had  already  traversed  a  wide  range  of  the  best  English  liter- 
ature. He  was  proficient  in  mathematics  and  an  enthusiast  in 
the  exact  sciences.  His  memory  was  phenomenal.  He  pur- 
sued history  with  a  zest  that  few  give  to  fiction. 

When,  in  1868,  he  entered  Lawrence  University,  at  Apple- 
ton,  Wis.,  he  brought  to  his  task  not  only  good  health  and 
splendid  courage,  but  a  mind  accustomed  to  the  delights  of 
good  literature,  trained  to  mathematical  accuracy  and  scien- 
tific exactness,  and  garnished  with  the  caineos  of  history  in 
ancient  and  modern  times.  Thus  well  equipped  for  his  task, 
although  hampered  with  frequent  absence  to  teach  school  and 
do  other  work  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  education,  he  easily 
maintained  his  supremacy  in  the  class  throughout  the  course 
and  graduated  from  the  classical  department  in  1872  with 
the  highest  honors  as  valedictorian  of  his  class. 

For  the  practical  purposes  of  settlement  Dakota  was  dis- 
covered about  that  time.  Although  purchased  for  the  United 
States  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  from  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  as  a 
part  of  Louisiana,  as  early  as  1803,  yet  the  Territory  of  Da- 
kota, with  the  exception  of  a  little  triangle  in  its  northeast- 
ern corner  and  the  narrow  strip  of  shore  line  that  could  be 
seen  from  the  hurricane  decks  of  the  steamers  passing  up  and 
down  her  great  rivers,  was  at  that  time  as  much  a  terra  incog- 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  37 

nita  as  are  to-day  the  forests  of  Africa  between  the  head- 
waters of  the  Congo  and  the  sources  of  the  Nile. 

The  antelope,  the  elk,  and  the  buffalo  then  ranged  their 
limitless  and  immemorial  pastures  where  now  the  peaceful 
domestic  herds  are  grazing  on  the  homestead  and  the  ranch. 

The  battles  of  the  Rose  Bud  and  the  Little  Big  Horn  were 
then  several  years  in  the  future  and  never  dreamed  of  as  pos- 
sible. % 

"No.  1  hard"  wheat  had  never  yet  been  heard  of  in  the 
busy  marts  of  commerce,  and  the  only  harbinger  of  its  com- 
ing that  had  ever  been  wafted  within  the  confines  of  civiliza- 
tion was  the  diifused  haze  of  smoke  from  the  annual  prairie 
fires  consuming  the  perennial  growth  of  natural  meadows, 
which  softened  the  scenery  and  mellowed  the  light  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley  in  the  beautiful  autumnal  days  of  Indian 
summer. 

Foremost  among  the  brave,  strong,  and  well-equipped 
young  pioneers  who  then  went  up  to  possess  this  goodly  land 
was  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE. 

Having  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  settled  at  Yankton  in 
1873,  and  was  eminently  successful  from  the  very  start.  He 
soon  built  up  a  large  and  valuable  practice  extending  all  over 
the  Territory  and  into  many  of  the  adjoining  counties  in  the 
State  of  Nebraska.  He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  energy  and  un- 
tiring industry.  He  was  always  loyal  to  his  clients  as  well  as 
to  the  court.  He  succeeded  eminently  at  the  bar,  and  enjoyed 
the  admiration  of  his  associates,  the  respect  of  the  court,  and 
the  support  of  a  large  clientage.  He  never  knowingly  advo- 
cated the  wrong,  and  never,  for  any  reason  personal  to  himself, 
neglected  the  cause  of  the  defenseless  or  the  poor. 

He  was  a  man  of  earnest  convictions  and  from  early  life 
always  took  a  deep  and  active  interest  in  politics.  The  princi- 
ples and  policy  of  the  Eepublican  party  early  met  the  approval 


38      Address  of  Mr.  Johnson,  of  North  Dakota,  on  the 

of  his  judgment,  and  to  that  party  he  remained  firmly  loyal 
and  devoted  to  the  last. 

He  was  unreservedly  trusted  and  greatly  honored  by  his 
party  and  his  State.  He  loved  the  i>rofession  which  he  adorned 
with  his  learning  and  with  an  integrity  of  character  that  was 
never  drawn  in  question.  He  preferred  the  uninterrupted 
pursuit  of  his  calling,  but  always  left  his  time,  his  means,  and 
his  judgment  at  the  service  of  the  public  whenever  his  city, 
his  county,  his  party,  or  the  State  required  him  to  respond 
to  the  call  of  duty. 

He  served  with  honor  as  district  attorney  of  Yankton 
County,  as  United  States  attorney  for  the  Territory,  in  both 
branches  of  the  Territorial  legislature,  as  a  member  of  the 
Sioux  Falls  constitutional  convention  of  1883,  and  was  elected 
to  the  Fifty-second  Congress  from  the  State  at  large. 

In  the  sharp  controversies  which  preceded  division  and  state- 
hood he  was  always  for  division  and  always  loyal  to  the  in- 
terest of  South  Dakota,  but  his  warfare  was  ever  of  that  brave 
and  honorable  sort  which  never  failed  to  command  the  admira- 
tion and  respect  of  us,  his  rivals  and  competitors,  who  some- 
times necessarily  represented  conflicting  interests,  simply 
because  we  happened  to  reside  north  of  the  forty-sixth  parallel 
of  latitude. 

In  1875  he  joined  the  Congregational  Church  of  Yankton. 
During  all  the  subsequent  years  of  a  busy  life  in  his  great 
career  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman  he  remained  an  unostenta- 
tious but  faithful  and  consistent  member  of  that  church. 

A  s  an  unobtrusive  member  of  that  church  he  exemplified  in  his 
life  the  graces  of  a  true  Christian  character,  abounding  in  good 
works  and  strong  in  the  faith.  From  the  altar  of  that  church 
his  remains  were  borne  to  their  last  resting  place  in  the  bosom 
of  Mother  Earth,  on  the  banks  of  the  longest  river  in  the 
world,  whose  murmuring  waters  shall  for  all  time  sing  his  re- 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  39 

quiem  as  they  roll  on  ceaselessly  in  their  stately  onward  march 
from  the  mountains  to  the  sea.  Our  colleague  died  suddenly 
at  his  home  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  after  an  illness  of  only  a 
few  hours. 

.He  fell,  not  like  the  decayed  trunk  of  the  leafless  cedar  before 
the  wintry  blast,  but  like  the  strong  oak  upon  the  mountain 
top,  shivered  by  the  lightning,  when  its  great  boughs  are 
clothed  in  the  full  leaves  of  summer. 

Both  by  the  tests  of  classic  paganism  and  the  requirements 
of  Christianity  our  dead  friend  has  achieved  immortality,  both 
as  an  earthly  fame  and  a  heavenly  crown.  Well  could  he  sing 
with  the^poet  Ennius,  old  and  fragmentary,  when  quoted  by 
Virgil — 

Let  no  one  decorate  ine  with  tears 
Or  celebrate  my  funeral  obsequies  with  weeping. 

Or  with  his  favorite  Horace  he  might  say : 

Here  I  have  erected  a  monument 

More  lasting  than  bronze 

And  higher  than  the  royal  pyramids. 

While  the  blessed  light  of  Christian  faith  and  promise 
shining  through  the  darkness  enables  us  to  write  on  his  tomb — 

"I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life;  he  that  believeth  in  me, 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live.  Blessed  are  the  dead 
which  die  in  the  Lord.  They  shall  rest  from  their  labors  and 
their  works  shall  follow  them." 


40  Address  of  Mr,  Lind,  of  Minnesota,  on  the 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  LIND,  OF  MINNESOTA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  In  rising  to  pay  tribute  to  the  Hon.  JOHN 
GAMBLE,  late  a  Eepresentative-elect  from  a  district  adjoining 
my  own,  though  in  a  neighboring  State,  I  am  unable,  from  a 
lack  of  personal  intimacy  with  the  departed, to  go  into  those 
details  of  his  everyday  life  and  character  which  determine  the 
place  that  a  man  shall  occupy  in  the  hearts  and  memory  of  his 
friends  and  associates. 

My  limited  'acquaintance  only  afforded  me  opportunity  to 
observe  those  salient  points  thatevenat  first  sight  distinguished 
the  individual  from  his  fellows. 

I  first  met  Mr.  GAMBLE  in  court,  some  ten  years  ago.  I  saw 
him  engaged  in  the  trial  of  a  cause.  His  terse  and  vigorous 
method  of  presenting  his  case  attracted  my  attention.  I  was 
•struck  with  the  spirit  of  self-reliance,  discriminating  power, 
and  good  judgment  which  characterized  his  every  move  and 
utterance. 

He  impressed  me  as  a  typical  Western  man;  self-made, 
physically  and  mentally  strong,  fearless,  and  self-reliant. 
Personal  intercourse  verified  my  first  impressions. 

I  found  that  he  possessed  all  these  traits  and  none  of  the 
prejudices  which  so  often  mar  the  mental  vision  of  men  who 
have  grown  up  under  different  conditions. 

Young,  vigorous,  and  ambitious,  it  was  but  natural  that  he 
should  play  a  strong  part  in  the  embryo  Commonwealth  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  He  helped  launch  the  ship  of  state. 
He  helped  guide  it  in  its  formative — the  most  important — 
period.  He  soon  received  its  highest  confidence  by  the  election 
to  a  seat  in  this  House. 

To  our  shortsighted  judgment  death  stepped  in  as  a  robber, 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  41 

depriving  him  of  a  well-earned  reward,  the  State  of  an  able 
servant,  and  us  of  a  genial  colleague. 

If  faith  and  hope  presented  no  promise  to  the  human  heart 
of  another  sphere  of  existence  and  activity,  death  under  these 
circumstances  would  not  only  make  life  a  vanity,  but  it  would 
stamp  existence  as  a  crime. 

To  those  of  us  who  enjoy  that  abiding  confidence  that  our 
going  as  well  as  our  coming  are  in  the  hands  of  a  kind  Provi- 
dence, whose  decrees  are  the  dictates  of  justice  and  love, 
there  comes  a  feeling  of  submission  even  in  the  presence  of 
death,  for  we  know  that  His  will  is  done. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BRYAN,  OF  NEBRASKA. 

It  was  not  my  good  fortune,  Mr.  Speaker,  to  be  personally 
acquainted  with  the  deceased;  but  living  just  across  the  line 
in  a  neighboring  State,  his  fame  had  reached  us,  and  we  shared 
in  the  sorrow  which  the  members  of  this  House  felt  when  the 
news  flashed  along  the  wires  that  he  was  dead. 

In  his  early  life  he  represented  the  truest  type  of  American 
manhood.  His  boyhood  days  were  spent  upon  the  farm,  and 
there,  in  communion  with  nature,  he  supplied  himself  with, 
perhaps,  the  best  preparation  that  any  man  can  bring  to  the 
duties  of  this  life;  and  when  he  emerged  from  that  farm  he 
came  strengthened  by  the  associations  of  such  a  life,  and  free 
from  those  vices  which  elsewhere  often  dwarf  the  boy  ere  he 
realizes  the  dangers  before  him.  He  sought  an  education;  he 
had  that  yearning  for  knowledge  which  indicates  in  its  posses- 
sor the  ability  to  use  an  education  after  it  is  obtained. 

He  was  a  self-made  man,  and  proved,  as  multitudes  before 
him  have  proved,  that  any  person  who  desires  an  education  in 
this  country  can  obtain  it.  Lack  of  effort  and  lack  of  ambi- 


42  Address  of  Mr.  Bryan,  of  Nebraska,  on  the 

tion  are  the  only  obstacles  in  the  young  man's  way.  He  had, 
therefore,  furnished  an  example  which  will  be  a  benefit  to 
every  rising  generation.  After  the  struggle  which  was  ueces- 
^  sary  to  obtain  an  education  he  might  have  been  discouraged : 
but  the  obstacles  which  he  overcame  simply  excited  a  desire 
to  encounter  greater  obstacles,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his 
education  he  entered  upon  that  arduous  profession,  the  law, 
in  which  his  greatest  achievements  were  attained — a  profes- 
sion in  which  the  successful  advocate  finds  his  greatest  ad- 
vantage and  his  greatest  protection  in  the  long,  the  weary, 
and  often  thorny  way  that  separates  the  lawyer  beginning 
from  the  lawyer  independent. 

That  he  was  an  able  lawyer  the  reports  of  his  own  State 
and  of  the  Federal  courts  furnish  abundant  testimony.  But 
he  was  more  than  an  able  lawyer.  He  was  an  earnest  and  an 
industrious  lawyer.  He  carried  into  his  profession  that 
energy  and  perseverance  which  characterized  his  earlier  days. 
More  than  this,  beyond  being  able  and  industrious,  he  was  an 
honest  lawyer.  There  is  an  impression  among  some  that 
honesty  is  not  an  aid  to  success  at  the  bar.  I  am  glad  that 
by  his  life  our  deceased  friend  had  given  the  lie  to  this 
assumption,  which  has  so  little  support  in  actual  experience 
at  the  bar.  It  is  one  of  the  great  truths  pf  which  we  may  all 
be  glad  that  the  paths  of  duty  in  this  world  run  parallel.  A 
man  can  be  a  good  citizen,  a  good  father,  a  good  husband,  a 
good  church  member,  a  good  politician,  a  good  lawyer,  and 
not  find  his  duties  conflicting.  He  can  serve  in  all  these 
capacities,  and  serve  well  in  each. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  went  to  Dakota  as  a  pioneer.  Those  who  are 
surrounded  by  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  older  com- 
munities scarcely  realize  the  undertaking  which  is  before  one 
who  turns  his  back  upon  these  advantages  and  seeks  his  for- 
tune in  a  new  country.  Yet  it  is  such  men  as  JOHN  R.  GAM- 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  43 

BLE  who  have  made  our  great  West  and  Northwest  wlrit 

» 
they  are  to-day.    They  have  gone  from  their  earlier  hoimv, 

carrying  with  them  their  education,  their  integrity,  their 
industry,  their  perseverance,  and  have  converted  that  country 
from  a  wilderness  into  a  garden.  They  have  built  up  cities 
and  towns,  schoolhouses  and  churches.  They  have  given  to 
these  sections  greatness,  wealth,  and  influence. 

It  is  not  strange  that  one  who  had  the  experience  and  abili- 
ties of  Mr.  GAMBLE  should  have  been  called  upon  for  public 
service.  It  is  one  of  the  glories  of  this  country  that  the  people 
are  able  to  select  those  who  prove  themselves  worthy  of  confi- 
dence, and  are  compelled  to  rely  for  guidance  and  for  govern- 
ment upon  those  bom  to  rule.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  I 
say,  that  such  a  man  as  Mr.  GAMBLE  should  have  been  se- 
lected by  his  people  for  various  positions  of  honor  and  of  trust; 
and  it  can  be  said  to  his  credit  that  in  all  of  these  capacities  he 
proved  himself  worthy  of  every  confidence  reposed.  It  is  a  loss 
to  this  House  that  a  man  as  well  equipped  as  he  was,  as  well 
prepared  for  the  arduous  duties  of  public  life,  should  have 
fallen  in  the  strength  of  early  manhood *and  at  the  very  com- 
mencement of  his  Congressional  career.  We  need  such  public 
men.  We  need  men  of  his  approved  integrity,  of  his  high  char- 
acter. We  need  men  who  take  for  their  motto,  as  he  did — 

To  thine  own  self  be  true, 
And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day, 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man. 

They  are  a  blessing  to  the  country,  they  are  a  service  to  all, 
and  I  come  to-day  as  one  who,  by  investigation,  was  led  to  a 
different  political  faith  from  that  held  by  the  deceased,  to 
mourn  with  his  friends  and  political  associates  that  one  like 
him  should  be  taken  from  us,  and  that  we  should  be  denied  his 
his  aid  and  companionship. 

His  death  was  sudden.    It  came  in  a  way  that  reminds  us 


44         Address  of  Mr.  Jolley,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

that,  however  strong  we  may  be,  however  full  of  health  and 
hope,  however  surrounded  with  all  the  things  that  indicate  a 
long  and  useful  life,  death  is  ever  present  in  our  inidst,  and 
that  none  of  us  are  able  to  tell  the  day  or  the  hour  when  we 
may  be  called  upon  to  render  an  account  of  our  stewardship. 

While  we  mourn  the  departure  of  a  man  elected  to  this 
House,  the  greatest  burden  of  grief  must  fall  upon  that  home 
which  he  honored  and  blessed  by  his  presence;  and  while  we 
regret  the  loss  of  a  public  servant,  we  mourn  with  her,  his 
widow,  and  with  the  children  whom  he  has  left.  He  has  be- 
queathed to  them  a  spotless  name,  an  estate  greater  than 
wealth  can  purchase.  The  grief-stricken  companion  of  his 
home  can  remember  a  husband  who  won  no  less  her  respect 
than  her  love.  And  while  the  children  are  at  an  age  when  ill 
able  to  lose  a  father,  they  have  the  proud  consolation  of  know- 
ing that  they  have  lost  a  father  whose  life  is  an  example,  and 
whose  industry,  whose  perseverance,  and  whose  character 
should  be  to  them  an  inspiration. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  JOLLEY,  OF  SOUTH  DAKOTA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  South  Dakota  for  the  first  time  mourns  for 
the  death  of  a  public  officer.  In  the  meridian  of  his  life, 
crowned  with  the  confidence  of  the  people  of  his  State,  sent 
by  the  electors  of  the  young  State  of  South  Dakota  as  their 
Representative  at  the  national  capital,  on  the  threshold  of  a 
life  that  would  have  been  useful  and  honored,  JOHN  E.  GAM- 
BLE died.  Without  any  warning,  in  seeming  perfect  health 
to  all  human  appearances,  with  years  of  health  and  prosperity 
before  him,  his  young  life  was  suddenly  ended,  and  his  wife, 
his  family,  and  his  friends  were  compelled  to  sever  the  tie  that 
bound  them  to  a  kind  and  faithful  husband,  to  a  fond  and  in- 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  45 

dulgent  father,  to  a  firm  and  true  friend,  and  to  an  able,  ener- 
getic, and  trusted  public  servant. 

Young  in  years  but  old  in  experience,  he  was  a  true  repre- 
sentative of  the  energy,  perseverance,  and  courage  of  our 
Western  civilization.  He  knew  thoroughly  all  the  wants  and 
needs  of  the  people  of  his  adopted  State  as  few  men  did,  and 
his  natural  endowments,  as  well  as  his  cultivated  acquire- 
ments, qualified  him  as  few  men  are  equipped  to  supply  every 
want  that  the  people  who  chose  him  as  their  Eepreseutative 
required  and  to  procure  for  his  State  all  that  it  needed.  No 
difficulty  delayed  him  in  attaining  an  object  he  set  out  for, 
and  no  obstruction  that  energy,  perseverance,  and  study  could 
overcome  barred  him  from  the  end  he  sought  to  attain. 

Thoroughly  honest,  always  fair,  firm  as  a  rock,  a  ripe 
scholar,  a  diligent  student,  gentle  and  kind  to  a  friend  and 
open  and  defiant  to  a  foe,  such  was  the  man  we  mourn,  and 
such  was  he  who  won  the  confidence,  love,  and  support  of  the 
people  of  the  State  who  sent  him  here  as  their  honored  Eepre- 
sentative. 

JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  was  bora  in  the  State  of  New  York  on 
January  15,  1848,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  He  moved  with 
his  parents  in  1862  to  the  State  of  Wisconsin.  Until  1867  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm,  a  hard  worker  and  an  earnest 
student.  In  1872  he  graduated  from  Lawrence  University,  at 
Appleton,  Wis.,  first  in  his  class.  After  graduating  he  studied 
law,  and  in  September,  1873,  he  settled  in  the  city  of  Yanktou, 
in  the  Territory  of  Dakota,  where  he  lived  until  he  died,  on 
August  14,  1891. 

From  the  time  he  located  in  the  then  sparsely  settled  Ter-' 
ritory  until  his  death  he  was  prominent  in  every  public  move- 
ment and  in  every  public  enterprise.  As  a  lawyer  he  moved 
from  obscurity  to  the  front  rank  with  a  swiftness  that  seemed 
marvelous.  For  years  he  was  acknowledged  as  one  of  the 


. 

46         Address  of  Mr.  Jolley,  of  Sotith  Dakota,  on  the  fc 

leaders  of  the  bar  of  the  Territory  and  later  of  the  State.  And 
he  deserved  and  maintained  his  place  there.  It  was  never 
given  him  as  a  favor;  he  attained  it  as  a  right. 

Few  cases  in  our  Territorial  and  State  courts  of  importance 
were  tried  that  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE  was  not  an  attorney  on  one 
side.  When  his  services  were  secured,  he  served  his  client 
with  all  the  ardor  of  an  honest  man.  In  his  professional  life 
he  was  serving  a  master  who  demanded  an  undivided  loyalty, 
and  he  served  that  master  well.  He  was  loyal  to  his  clients, 
he  was  loyal  to  the  judges,  and  he  was  loyal  to  his  profession. 
In  a  large  practice  of  eighteen  years  not  one  word  of  criticism 
was  ever  heard  against  him.  He  studied  his  cases  with  an 
energy  that  never  weakened,  with  an  honesty  that  never  was 
questioned,  and  with  a  zeal  that  few  equaled.  The  records  of 
the  courts  of  the  Territory  of  Dakota  and  of  the  State  of  South 
Dakota  show  the  labors  of  his  professional  life.  It  is  a  grand 
record;  one  that  his  friends  may  well  be  proud  of,  and  one 
that  shall  ever  serve  as  a  beacon  light  to  those  who  shall 
follow  him  in  his  chosen  calling. 

To  one  who  has  often  met  him  in  the  courts  as  an  assistant 
or  as  an  opponent  the  memory  comes  and  shall  always  live  of 
an  able  lawyer,  an  eloquent  advocate,  and  a  thoroughly  honest 
and  honorable  gentleman .  In  every' meeting  of  the  bar  held  in 
our  State,  so  long  as  the  members  of  the  old  Territorial  bar 
live,  some  story  of  JOHN  B.  GAMBLE'S  kindness  will  be  related 
and  some  eye  will  be  dimmed  with  tears  because  of  his  death. 
We  could  have  parted  with  him  if  he  had  lived  his  allotted 
time,  but  to  have  him  taken  from  us  in  the  prime  of  his  man- 
hood  we  can  not  yet  submit  without  a  murmur.  The  public 
will  remember  him  as  an  able,  brilliant,  and  learned  lawyer; 
the  members  of  the  bar  will  cheerfully  yield  to  him  all  that, 
but  to  them  he  was  more,  he  was  always  a  kind  friend  and 
brother. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  47 

A  man  with  the  abilities  of  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  could  not  re- 
main in  private  life,  much  as  he  desired  to.  In  a  new  country, 
such  as  Dakota  was  in  Territorial  days,  public  questions  were 
more  generally  discussed  than  in  an  older  country.  The  peo- 
ple are  independent  in  the  expression  of  their  opinions  on  all 
political  measures,  and  are  always  well  informed  on  every  mat- 
ter that  affects  their  interests.  They  are  thoroughly  self-reli- 
ant, and  their  judgment  of  men  and  measures  is  based  on  real 
merit.  For  shams  and  demagogues  they  have  no  use  in  their 
active  and  stirring  life.  They  are  full  of  charity  for  honest 
mistakes;  for  deceit  and  dishonesty  in  a  public  officer  they 
have  little  charity  and  no  forgiveness.  All  the  characteristics 
possessed  by  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  qualified  him  for  a  leader  of 
the  pioneers  in  his  Western  home. 

Soon  after  settling  in  the  city  of  Yankton  he  was  elected 
district  attorney  by  his  party  friends.  Before  his  term,  ended 
criminals  knew  that  a  man  who  never  feared  to  prosecute  all 
violations  of  the  law  With  strictness,  ability,  and  energy  would 
manage  all  criminal  cases  on  the  part  of  the  Territory.  At  the 
commencement  of  his  term  an  unknown  boy,  at  the  end  of  the 
term  of  his  office  his  name  was  known  throughout  the  Terri- 
tory. In  1878  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Territorial  house 
of  representatives.  During  the  session  all  the  laws  passed  by 
the  legislature  bear  the  impress  of  his  mind.  His  abilities 
forced  him  to  the  front,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death  he 
was  recognized  by  all  as  a  leader  of  his  party.  Twice  after- 
wards he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Territorial  council,  and 
each  time  he  added  to  his  well-earned  reputation  as  an  able 
legislator. 

In  all  new  countries  a  crisis  comes.  Dakota  Territory  was 
no  exception  to  the  rule.  No  one  knows,  except  those  who 
have  passed  through  the  ordeal,  the  humiliations  the  people  of 
a  Territory  suffer  under  a  Territorial  form  of  government. 


48         Address  ofMr.Jolley,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

Territorial  officers  are  sent  out  to  govern  the  people  who  hold 
their  office  by  appointment  from  the  national  Executive  and 
not  by  the  choice  of  the  people  of  the  Territory.  The  people  of 
Dakota  Territory  had  that  kind  of  government  for  nearly  thirty 
years.  The  old  pioneers  hoped  and  longed  for  the  time  to  come 
when  they  could  have  the  same  rights  and  privileges  as  their 
brothers  who  lived  in  States.  Many  died  before  that  happy 
day  came.  So  long  was  the  day  of  their  political  deliverance 
postponed  that  many  restless  men  declared  their  right  to  estab- 
lish a  State  government  before  Congress  granted  that  power. 
Constitutional  conventions  were  held  in  the  Territory,  and 
although  the  constitutions  submitted  to  a  vote  ofthepeeple 
declared  that  the  organic  law  would  not  be  in  force  and  effect 
until  sanctioned  by  legal  authority,  many  declared  the  people 
of  the  Territory,  the  source  of  all  power,  had  the  right  and 
authority  to  establish  a  State  government  before  Congress 
passed  an  enabling  act.  The  contest  was  long,  exciting,  and 
hot.  For  years  the  contest  waged.  The  demand  for  a  divi- 
sion of  the  Territory  and  formation  of  two  States  was  almost 
unanimous.  The  division  among  the  people  was :  Whether  to 
form  a  State  government  before  the  national  authority  granted 
the  power,  or  to  wait  until  Congress  passed  a  law  dividing  the 
Territory  and  authorized  the  people  to  adopt  a  constitution  and 
form  a  State  government.  During  the  long  and  fierce  strug- 
gle the  voice  and  influence  of  JOHN  K.  GAMBLE  was  to  wait 
until  all  legal  requirements  were  fully  complied  with.  Fortu- 
nately for  the  people  of  the  State  of  South  Dakota,  the  advice 
of  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  and  others  acting  with  him  prevailed. 
The  change  we  all  so  anxiously  hoped  for  came.  The  Territo- 
rial form  of  government  was  a  thing  of  the  past.  South  Dakota 
after  a  long  struggle  was  admitted  as  a  State  into  the  Union. 
To  the  wise  counsel  and  valiant  efforts  of  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE 
and  others  associated  with  him  have  the  people  to  thank  for 
their  prudent  conduct  during  that  exciting  period. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  49 

There  is  no  spot  to  mar  the  fair  fame  of  the  people  of  the 
State  of  South  Dakota.  It  seems  almost  a  mockery  to  know, 
that  he  who  did  so  much,  who  labored  so  earnestly,  and  who 
devoted  so  much  time  to  have  South  Dakota  admitted  as  a 
State,  died  so  soon  after  the  star  of  that  State  was  placed  on 
our  national  flag. 

In  the  State  convention  of  his  party,  held  just  prior  to  the 
admission  of  our  State,  his  name  was  presented  for  the  position 
-of  member  of  Congress.  It  was  not  successful.  He  neither 
sulked  nor  hesitated.  His  time  and  talents  were  given  to  the 
party  of  his  choice.  In  1890  the  efforts  of  his  friends  were 
successful,  and  in  the  election  of  that  year  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE 
was  elected  as  one  of  the  ^Representatives  from  the  State  of 
South  Dakota.  To  say  that  he  was  not  proud  of  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  would  be  to  say  he  was  not  human.  His  selec- 
tion was  not  an  accident.  He  deserved  it  and  it  was  a  just 
reward  for  hard  work,  earnest  efforts,  and  faithful  services 
rendered  by  him  to  the  people  of  his  State.  He  would  have 
fulfilled  the  duties  of  his  office  in  such  a  manner  as  would  have 
been  creditable  to  himself  and  would  have  honored  the  State 
he  represented. 

His  future  to  the  human  eye  seemed  all  that  his  friends 
could  ask  and  he  desire.  It  was  decreed  that  they  would  not 
be  fulfilled.  He  never  took  his  seat  in  the  national  Congress. 
With  a  suddenness  that  was  startling  his  death  came.  He 
died  as  he  would  wish  to  die.  Seeking  the  rest  he  so  much 
needed,  his  last  day  on  earth  was  passed  in  ridiDg'with  his 
family  on  the  prairies  near  his  home.  In  the  evening  he  be- 
came ill;  tbe  family  physician  was  called.  Nothing  serious 
was  thought  of.  After  midnight  a  change  came  that  was  un- 
locked for,  a  change  that  baffled  the  skill  ot  the  physicians. 
On  the  morning  of  August  14,  1891,  as  the  sun  touched  the 
prairies  of  his  Western  home,  surrounded  by  his  wife,  his  three 
H.  Mis.  83 4 


50  Address  of  Mr.  Jolley,  of  South  Dakota. 

children,  and  a  few  devoted  friends,  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  died. 
His  death  was  a  shock  to  the  people  of  our  State. 

This  was  the  life  of  my  friend,  the  representative  of  our 
young  State,  the  kind  husband,  the  fond  father,  the  faithful 
friend,  the  able  lawyer,  the  brilliant  legislator,  and  our  hon- 
ored citizen. 

JOHN  E.  GAMBLE'S  life  was  a  useful  life.  The  records  of 
his  works  and  services  will  never  die.  The  history  of  our 
State  can  never  be  written  without  his  name  embellishing  its 
pages.  By  his  wife  his  memory  will  always  be  cherished ;  to 
his  children  his  well-spent  life  will  ever  be  an  example  and  a 
guide;  to  his  friends  his  kind  words  and  deeds  will  make  their 
lives  better,  and  the  people  of  our  State  will  never  forget  his 
faithful  services. 

The  SPEAKER  pro  tem$ore  (Mr.  Hooker,  of  Mississippi,  in 
the  chair).  The  question  is  on  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions 
offered  by  the  gentleman  from  South  Dakota  (Mr.  Pickler). 

The  resolutions  wer-e  unanimously  agreed  to. 

The  SPEAKER  pro  tempore.  In  accordance  with  the  last 
resolution,  I  declare  the  house  adjourned  until  Monday  next 
at  12  o'clock  m. 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  SENATE. 


JANUARY  6, 1892. 

The  PRESIDING  OFFICER  laid  before  the  Senate  the  follow- 
ing resolutions  from  the  House  of  Representatives;  which 
were  read : 

JANUARY  5,  1892. 

Resolved,  That  the  House  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  of  the  death 
of  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  late  a  Representative  from  the  State  of  South 
Dakota. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  directed  to  communicate  a  copy  of  these 
resolutions  to  the  Senate. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  his  memory  the  House  do  now 
adjourn. 

Mr.  PETTIGREW.    Mr.  President,   I  offer  the  resolutions 
which  I  send  to  the  desk. 
The  resolutions  were  read,  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  deep  sensibility  the  announce- 
ment of  the  death  of  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  late  a  Representative  from 
the  State  of  South  Dakota. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  his  memory  the  Senate  do  now 
adjourn. 

The  PRESIDING  OFFICER.  The  question  is  on  agreeing  to 
the  resolutions. 

The  resolutions  were  agreed  to  unanimously ;  and  (at  4  o'clock 
and  17  minutes  p.  m.)  the  Senate  adjourned  until  to-morrow, 
Thursday,  January  7,  1892,  at  12  o'clock  meridian. 

51 


EULOGIES. 


t  EBBUABY   4,  1893. 

Mr.  PETTIGBEW,  of  Soutli  Dakota.  I  ask  that  the  resolutions 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  respect  to  the  death  of  my 
late  colleague,  Hon.  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE,  be  now  laid  before  the 
Senate. 

The  PBESIDING  OFFICES.  The  Chair  lays  before  the  Senate 
the  resolutions  of  the  House  of  Representatives;  which  will 
be  read. 

The  Secretary  read  as  follows : 

IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 

March  12,  1892. 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  House  be  now  suspended  that  an  op- 
portunity be  given  for  tributes  to  the  memory  of  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE, 
late  a  Representative  at  large  from  the  State  of  South  Dakota. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  directed  to  communicate  a  copy  of  these 
resolutions  to  the  Senate. 

Resolved,  That,  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  de- 
ceased and  his  public  services,  the  House,  at  the  conclusion  of  these 
memorial  proceedings,  shall  stand  adjourned. 

Mr.  PETTIGBEW.  I  otter  the  resolutions  which  I  send  to  the 
desk. 

The  PRESIDING  OFFICEB.  The  resolutions  will  be  read. 
The  Secretary  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  the  announce- 
ment of  the  death  of  the  Hon.  JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  late  a  Representative 
from  the  State  of  South  Dakota. 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  Senate  be  now  suspended,  in  order 
that  fitting  tribute  may  be  paid  to  his  memory. 

Resolved,  That  u  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Senate  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 
52 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  53 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  PETTIGREW,  OF  SOUTH  DAKOTA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  For  the  first  time  since  I  entered  the  Sen- 
ate I  am  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  colleague  and  to 
review  in  the  presence  of  the  Senate  the  ended  life  of  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  my  State. 

JOHN  R.  GAMBLE,  late  a  Representative  at  large  from  the 
State  of  South  Dakota  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  de- 
ported this  life  on  the  14th  day  of  August,  1891,  at  his  home 
at  Yankton,  in  the  State  he  had  done  so  much  to  create  and 
loved  so  well.  The  news  of  his  death  was  a  great  shock  to  the 
people  of  my  State,  for  it  was  entirely  unexpected,  as  Mr. 
Gamble  was  apparently  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood  and  but 
43  years  of  age. 

He  was  no  stranger  to  me.  During  the  eighteen  years  of 
his  residence  in  Dakota  we  were  partisan  friends,  acting  to- 
gether to  accomplish  the  same  objects,  associated  together  in 
the  legislatures,  conventions,  and  other  public  assemblies  of 
the  Territory  and  State.  I  had  learned  to  love  him  for  his  kind 
and  generous  heart,  and  to  respect  him  for  his  clear  and  able 
mind.  The  story  of  his  life  can  be  told  only  of  an  American 
boy ;  here  alone  in  this  country  are  the  opportunities  offered 
for  such  a  career. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  was  born  in  the  township  of  Alabama,  Getifesee 
County,  State  of  New  York,  on  the  15th  day  of  January,  1848. 
He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  his  mother  being  a  second 
cousin  of  Andrew  Jackson.  His  early  years  were  spent  upon 
the  farm,  and  engaged  in  the  ordinary  occupations  of  a  farmer's 
son. 

In  1862  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Fox  Lake,  Dodge 
County,  Wis.,  where  his  people  have  since  resided. 


54     Address  of  Mr.  Pettigrew,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

From  Ms  early  life  he  was  a  constant  attendant  at  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  was  always  a  student  of 
the  highest  rank  in  his  classes,  and  a  young  man  of  the  most 
careful  and  scrupulous  deportment  in  his  conduct.  He  was 
enthusiastic  and  energetic,  not  only  in  his  work  at  school  and 
in  his  general  pursuits  of  reading,  but  also  as  an  active  and 
capable  help  at  home  upon  the  farm. 

At  an  early  age  he  formed  an  ambition  to  acquire  a  thorough 
college  education.  To  this  end  he  devoted  all  his  energies, 
and  his  spare  hours  while  on  the  farm  were  given  to  study 
and  research.  He  soon  mastered  all  the  studies  pursued  in 
the  ordinary  country  school  and  then  devoted  himself  to  self 
instruction,  so  that  at  an  early  age  he  was  sufficiently  capable 
to  devote  part  of  his  time  to  teaching  and  thereby  secure 
money  with  which  to  enter  college  and  pursue  his  course 
while  there. 

He  entered  Lawrence  University  at  Appleton,  Wis.,  in  1867; 
took  a  full  classical  course,  and  graduated  with  the  highest 
honors  of  his  class  in  1872.  While  at  college  he  displayed  the 
same  energy  and  enthusiasm  as  a  student  that  he  had  during 
his  earlier  years,  and  was  regarded  when  he  left  the  institution 
as  one  of  their  most  promising  and  capable  graduates.  He 
took  high  rank  in  all  departments,  and  while  there  took  great 
interest  in  the  literary  work  of  the  college.  Though  never 
eloquent,  he  was  a  clear,  forcible,  and  convincing  speaker. 

Long  before  leaving  college  Mr.  GAMBLE  had  chosen  the 
law  as  a  profession,  and  this  had  indaced  him  to  take  especial 
pains  in  the  work  of  the  literary  societies  of  the  institution. 
After  his  graduation  he  studied  law  at  Fox  Lake,  Wis.,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  August,  1873.  At  this  time  he  was 
indebted  to  his  brother  James  for  part  of  the  moneys  used  in 
going  through  college,  and  after  his  admission  to  practice 
additional  funds  were  loaned  to  him  by  his  brother  with  which 
to  purchase  a  law  library. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  55 

In  September  of  the  same  year  he  located  at  Yankton,  S. 
Dak.,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  at  that  place.    He 
at  once,  by  his  energy  and  industry,  built  up  a  very  lucrative 
business,  so  that  he  was  enabled  to  pay  off  all  his  existing  lia-   . 
bilities  on  account  of  his  education. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  had  all  the  elements  of  a  successful  lawyer. 
He  was  thorough  and  painstaking  in  a  remarkable  degree  in 
the  preparation  of  his  cases  for  trial.  He  had  wonderfully 
clear  perceptions  of  the  law,  and  as  to  the  essential  features 
of  each  particular  case,  and  to  the  application  of  the  facts  to 
the  law  in  question,  always  loyal  to  his  client.  He  was 
thoroughly  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  profession.  He  was 
persistent  and  heroic  in  his  encounters  at  the  bar,  and  it  was 
seldom  that  he  failed  in  sustaining  the  case  of  his  client.  He 
had  a  high  appreciation  of  the  obligations  of  an  attorney  and 
of  his  fidelity  to  the  court. 

In  all  my  acquaintance  with  him  I  never  knew  him  to  do  a 
mean  or  dishonorable  thing  in  his  practice,  although  it  may 
have  been  of  temporary  advantage  to  him.  This  was  true  also 
in  his  business  and  political  life. 

He  was  elected  district  attorney  for  Yankton  County  in 
1874. 

He  acted  as  United  States  attorney  for  some  months  in 
1877  and  1878,  and  was  elected  to  represent  his  city  in  the 
Territorial  house  of  representatives  in  187*7, 1878,  and  1879,  and 
was  three  times  elected  to  represent  his  county  in  the  Ter- 
ritorial council. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  conven- 
tion for  South  Dakota  in  1883,  and  acted  as  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  legislation.  The  constitution  adopted  by  this 
convention  was  practically  the  constitution  with  which  South 
Dakota  was  admitted  into  the  Union  in  1889.  During  his  en- 
tire public  and  private  life,  in  every  position,  whether  a  prose- 


56     Address  of  Mr.  Pettigrew,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

cuting  officer,  a  delegate  to  a  partisan  convention,  a  member 
of  the  legislature,  or  as  a  delegate  preparing  the  constitution 
of  a  State,  no  blot  or  stain  can  be  found  upon  his  record. 
Every  page  of  his  life,  every  act  of  his  hand,  will  bear  the 
light  of  a  midday  sun.  His  thought  and  character  is  stamped 
upon  the  history  of  Dakota,  and  its  expression  is  in  the  char- 
acter of  her  people  and  institutions. 

The  life  of  apolitical  organization,  of  man  in  the  aggregate, 
is  after  all  but  the  repetition  of  the  life  of  individual  men  that 
compose  the  State  or  nation ;  and  I  am  sure  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  the  character  of  the  people  and  the  institutions  of 
South  Dakota  are  not  the  same  as  they  would  have  been  if  he 
had  lived  elsewhere.  Fearless,  honest,  persistent,  and  capa- 
ble, this  strong  man  was  a  leader  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
word,  and  he  has  left  an  impression  on  the  people  of  South 
Dakota  that  will  endure  longer  than  any  monument  of  stone. 

No  higher  ambition  can  prompt  an  American  boy  than  to 
take  part  in  laying  the  foundation  of  an  American  State,  in 
helping  to  create  a  mighty  commonwealth  that  is  to  endure  as 
long  as  this  great  nation  stands  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  It  was  this  thought  that  took  this  young  man,  fresh 
from  school  and  full  of  honest  purposes  and  high  aims,  to  the 
prairies  of  Dakota,  there  to  battle  with  the  wilderness,  to 
build  a  home,  to  help  shape  the  institutions  of  a  sovereign 
people,  and  to  make  a  place  in  the  world  that  shall  endure. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  had  influenced  his  surroundings,  but  those 
surroundings  had  made  themselves  felt  in  molding  his  char- 
acter. He  had  become  active,  restless,  keen-witted,  earnest, 
self-contained — a  splendid  representative  of  that  vast  throng 
that,  climbing  the  Allegheuies,  have  in  so  short  a  time  crossed 
this  continent  and  reached  the  Pacific  Ocean,  planting  great 
States  in  their  path  with  all  that  implies  the  highest  civiliza- 
tion embodied  in  their  institutions. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  57 

The  work  of  creating  new  States  is  nearly  completed,  but 
the  growth  of  that  vast  empire  west  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver 
has  but  just  commenced,  containing  as  it  does  five-sevenths  of 
the  area  of  the  United  States,  excluding  Alaska,  with  natural 
resources  equaling,  yes,  surpassing,  the  same  number  of 
square  miles  of  any  other  portion  of  the  earth. 

The  time  must  soon  come  when  the  people  of  these  States, 
of  which  this  man  was  a  representative,  will  dominate  and 
control  this  Government.  New  issues  will  arise  that  must 
modify  our  national  policy,  in  fact  mold  it  to  its  purpose,  and 
I  feel  safe  in  saying  that  as  this  influence  increases  by  the  in- 
creased number  of  the  representatives  of  this  civilization  in 
Congress,  we  will  grow  broader,  and  greater,  and  grander  as  a 
people  and  a  nation. 

It  was  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  GAMBLE  and  those  who 
acted  with  him  that  two  States  instead  of  one  were  added  to 
the  Union.  The  contest  for  a  division  of  the  Territory  of  Da- 
kota and  the  admission  of  two  States  was  a  long  and  bitter 
one  and  delayed  the  creation  of  those  States  for  several  years ; 
but  in  this  contest  he  never  wavered,  because  he  felt  sure  it 
was  for  the  best  interests  of  the  great  Northwest  that  there 
should  be  two  States  acting  together  in  the  future  with  the 
increased  power  in  this  body  thereby  secured.  Who  can  meas- 
ure the  consequences  of  this  result;  consequences  that  must 
extend  through  all  time  and  grow  more  important  as  these 
States  grow  in  population  and  in  wealth  ? 

Mr.  GAMBLE  married  Fannie  Davis  on  September  22,  1875, 
and  leaves  a  widow  and  three  children.  He  was  a  true  hus- 
band and  a  kind  and  affectionate  father,  and  his  home  was  a 
happy  one,  and  while  he  will  be  mourned  and  missed  and  his 
loss  keenly  felt  by  his  State,  it  is  upon  his  family,  his  devoted 
wife  and  children  and  surviving  brothers  and  sisters,  that  the 
greatest  blow  has  fallen. 


58    Address  of  Mr.  Hansbrough,  of  North  Dakota,  on  the 

He  believed  iii  a  future  life,  and  to  them  there  is  consolation 
in  the  thought  that  they  can  go  to  him  if  he  can  not  return  to 
them  5  and  to  me,  with  all  my  doubts,  there  appear  the  words 
of  Cato's  soliloquy : 

Plalo,  thou  reasonest  well: 

Else' whence  this  pleasing  hope,  this  fond  desire, 
This  longing  after  immortality? 
Or  whence  this  secret  dread  and  inward  horror 
Of  falling  into  naught?     Why  shrinks  the  soul 
Back  on  itself,  and  startles  at  destruction? 
;Tis  the  divinity  that  stirs  within  us. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HANSBROUGH,  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT:  My  acquaintance  with  the  Hon.  JOHN  E. 
GAMBLE,  late  a  Representative  from  the  State  of  South  Dakota, 
dates  back  to  the  time  of  the  Territorial  days  in  Dakota,  when 
we  believed,  as  we  still  continue  to  believe,  that  statehood 
was  the  greatest  boon  that  could  be  conferred  upon  a  people 
who  were  disfranchised  by  being  obligfed  to  live  under  a  Ter- 
ritorial government;  to  the  time  when  delegations  from  Dakota 
were  making  annual  excursions  to  this  city  with  a  view  to  en- 
lightening the  lawmakers  as  to  the  needs  of  that  portion  of 
the  growing,  the  boundless,  the  unparalleled  West,  more 
recently  embraced  within  the  splendid  sisterhood  of  States ; 
when  with  us  the  only  general  contest  at  the  ballot  box  was 
over  the  election  of  a  single,  voteless  Delegate,  who  must 
represent  half  a  million  of  people,  scattered  over  150,000 
square  miles  of  territory;  when  our  political  conventions,  no 
matter  at  what  time  they  were  held  or  however  remote  they 
might  be  from  the  geographical  center  of  the  Territory,  were 
attended  by  complete  delegations  from  every  county,  some 
traveling  4,000  miles,  from  the  Black  Hills  region  by  way  of 


»  Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  59 

Omaha  and  St.  Paul  and  returning  by  the  same  route,  for  the 
poor  satisfaction  of  assisting  in  nominating  one  of  their  own 
number  who,  if  elected,  would  be  nothing  more  than  an  errand 
boy  without  a  vote,  having  the  privileges  of  the  House  floor 
and  the  right  to  burn  midnight  oil  sending  prosy  documents 
and  musty  garden  seeds,  free  of  postage,  to  an  eager  and  anx- 
ious constituency. 

JOHN  GAMBLE  was  always  to  be  found  at  these  conventions, 
not  as  a  canidate  for  the  one  and  only  honor  to  be  bestowed, 
but  invariably  in  the  interest  of  a  friend,  and  likewise  in  oppo-  . 
sitiou  to  those  whom  he  supposed  to  be  his  friend's  enemies. 
He  was  a  patriot  always.  His  motives  were  honorable  and  his 
purposes  high.  Nature  had  endowed  him  with  a  physique 
that  was  all  endurance  and  an  unselfishness  that  was  all  de- 
votion. To  those  whom  he  loved  he  gave  the  full  benefit  of 
these  superlative  attributes.  His  friend's  cause  was  his  cause; 
to  him  his  country's  glory  was  greater  than  any  personal  ad- 
vantage or  reward. 

Burning,  gnawing  political  ambition  found  no  place  of  abid- 
ance in  him.  He  was  ambitious  only  in  behalf  of  a  great  mul- 
titude of  people  who  yearned  to  be  absolved  from  a  condition 
of  political  bondage.  His  aspirations  were  those  of  a  true  and 
loyal  citizen,  who  entertained  no  doubt  of  the  ultimate  tri- 
umph of  the  enlightened  policy  of  home  rule.  He  looked  for- 
ward 'to  the  admission  of  the  Territory  as  two  States  in  earnest 
desire,  not  for  place,  not  for  power,  or  personal  preferment, 
but  for  justice  to  a  people  who  were  politically  enthralled. 

He  had  been  an  eyewitness  to  the  effects  of  the  great  evils 
which  sometimes  grow  out  of  an  abuse  of  the  Territorial  sys- 
tem of  government.  He  had  seen  in  full  operation  an  applica- 
tion of  the  un-American  plan  of  exercising  power  from  a  great 
distance  over  defenseless  communities  inhabited  by  those  well 
equipped  and  well  fitted  to  govern  themselves,  and  his  whole 
being  was  in  revolt  against  it. 


60    Address  of  Mr.  Hansbrough,  of  North  Dakota,  on  the      "> 

Mr.  GAMBLE  was  a  profound  student.  His  mind  was  stored 
with  the  rich  fruits  of  industrious  research.  In  the  law  he  oc- 
cupied a  place  among  those  in  the  first  rank,  and  his  opinions 
were  current  statutes  with  the  people.  To  him  the  history  of 
his  country  was  an  inspiration.  He  was  an  American  in  the 
truest  sense.  He  loved  the  institutions  of  his  native  land  and 
believed  that  this  must  ultimately  excel  all  other  countries, 
commercially  and  otherwise.  He  was  an  ardent  advocate  of 
territorial  extension. 

If  he  had  been  spared  to  his  countrymen  his  voice  might 
now  be  heard  in  the  halls  of  this  Capitol  proclaiming  in  behalf 
of  new  conquests  for  the  benefit  of  the  millions  who  are  to 
come.  From  the  sweat  and  blood  of  toil  and  suffering  he  be- 
held an  empire  rising  to  the  view — that  empire  heralded  by  the 
good  Bishop  Berkeley  as  "  time's  noblest  offspring."  He  be- 
lieved with  De  Tocqueville,  who  in  1835  wrote  these  prophetic 
lines : 

"In  the  midst  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  future  there  is  at 
least  one  event  which  is  certain.  At  an  epoch  which  we  can 
call  near,  since  it  concerns  the  life  of  a  people,  the  Anglo- 
Americans  alone  will  cover  all  the  immense  territory  comprised 
between  the  polar  ice  and  the  tropics;  they  will  spread  from 
the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  even  to  the  coasts  of  the 

Southern  Sea.     *     *     *     There  will  then  arrive  a  time  when 

$ 
there  will  be  seen  in  North  America  150,000,000  of  men,  equal 

together,  who  Avill  all  belong  to  the  same  family,  who  will  have 
the  -same  point  of  departure,  the  same  civilization,  the  same 
language,  the  same  religion,  the  same  habits,  the  same  manr 
ners,  and  over  which  thought  will  circulate  in  the  same  form, 
and  paint  itself  in  the  same  colors.  All  else  is  doubtful,  but 
this  is  certain."  Here,"  continues  De  Tocqueville,  "is  a  fact 
entirely  new  in  the  world,  of  which  the  imagination  can  hardly 
seize  the  extent." 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  61 

Charles  Sunnier  said  that  no  American  could  fail  to  be 
strengthened  in  the  future  of  the  Eepublic  by  this  testimony 
of  De  Tocqueville.  And  we  may  say  of  our  departed  friend 
that"  no  citizen  of  this  great  Union  can  emulate  his  example 
in  patriotism  or  experience,  the  feelings  of  admiration  and  love 
that  he  experienced  toward  his  beloved  country,  without  being 
a  better  and  broader  American  in  all'respects. 

We  of  the  new  States  have  reached  that  ideal  period  which 
may  be  said  to  return  the  poetry  of  frontier  life,  and  in  com- 
parison with  which  the  pioneer  squatter's  time  was  the  period 
of  prose.  And  we  look  back  in  deep  sorrow  upon  the  unfor- 
tunate circumstance  which  brings  us  here  to-day  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  one  who  was  so  near  the  entrance  upon  a  life  of  great 
usefulness  when  the  cold  hand  of  death  was  laid  upon  him. 
Truly  hath  the  poet  said  that — 

No  frail  man,  however  great  or  high, 
Can  be  concluded  blest  before  lie  die. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  DAVIS,  OF  MINNESOTA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  I  desire  to  add  a  few  words  of  tribute  in 
reference  to  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  in  addition  to  those  which  have 

been  paid  to  him  by  the  Senators  who  have  preceded  me. 
. 

The' mortuary  records  of  the  last  few  years  have  most  feel- 
ingly persuaded  us  of  the  truth  of  the  saying :  "  What  shadows 
we  are,  and  what  shadows  we  pursue."  * 

Death  has  smitten  with  its  withering  hand  those  who  stood 
most  conspicuous  in.the  public  affections.  That  icy  hand  has 
smitten  the  Executive  Mansion.  It  has  stricken  the  Cabinet; 
it  has  taken  the  sword  of  the  warrior  and  has  broken  it  in  twain. 
With  firm  and  gentle  hand  he,  the  Angel  of  Death,  has  removed 
from  the  places  of  the  living  the  greatest,  I  think,  of  American 


62  Address  of  Mr.  Davis,  of  Minnesota,  on  the 

• 

statesmen  of  our  times,  and  laid  him  in  the  tabernacle  of  ever- 
lasting rest;  he  has  visited  the  two  Chambers  of  Congress;  he 
has  thinned  the  ranks  of  this  body;  he  has  assailed  those  of 
the  House  of  ^Representatives. 

Eepeated  instances  and  ceremonies  like  those  which  we  are 
now  performing  bring  a  sense  of  sadness  to  our  hearts  and  of 
persuasion  of  the  uncertainty  of  all  earthly  things  to  us. 

Mr.  GAMBLE  had  not  come  within  the  sphere  of  public  atten- 
tion which  entitled  him  to  rank  with  many  of  those  who  have 
been  taken  from  us,  and  of  whom  I  have  spoken.  He  fell  upon 
his  way  to  this  Capitol.  He  had  no  particular  contact  with 
Federal  affairs. 

All  that  could  be  said  of  him  in  regard  to  his  aspects  was 
that  he  was  a  man  of  great  possibilities  and  great  capacity.  I 
did  not  know  him  intimately,  yet  I  had  encountered  him  and 
sometimes  walked  with  him  in  the  way  of  our  professional  life. 
He  was  a  pleasant  man,  well  adjusted,  well  poised,  a  self-con- 
centered and  ripe  lawyer,  acute  and  able  in  debate,  fruitful  in 
forensic  resources,  and  true  to  his  clients  always. 

There  is  one  thing,  Mr.  President,  pertaining  to  the  times  in 
which  we  are  living  which  I  do  not  think  is  sufficiently  ob- 
served, and  yet  which  ought  to  be  observed  and  put  into  con- 
temporary history  so  that  future  historians  may  use  it,  and 
that  is  the  manner  in  which  within  the  last  fifty  years  new 
States,  especially  those  of  the  Northwest,  have  been  sum- 
moned almost  out  of  nothingness  and  sprang,  perhaps  in  the 
course  of  a  year  or  two  years  and  sometimes  a  few  months, 
fully  equipped  and  panoplied,  into  the  ranks  of  States. 

If  not  properly  understood  it  would  be  a  marvel  to  future 
historians  how  great  and  perfect  Commonwealths  have  thus 
been  formed.  We  whose  fathers  were  pioneers  in  that  country 
understand  it  well.  There  came  into  those  regions  in  the  times 
of  the  earliest  settlement  the  choice  and  selected  spirits  of  the 
East.  They  were  young  men. 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  63 

For  many  years  after  the  settlement  of  those  Territories  you 
could  go  into  the  largest  audience  and  see  few  gray  heads. 
They  were  aggressive  men;  their  minds  were  full  of  sugges- 
tions; they  were  aspiring  and  ambitious  men,  seeking  to  lay 
hold  of  a  future  which  might  be  full  of  honors  for  them.  Most 
of  them  were  students.  They  came  from  a  land  of  actual  prac- 
tice, and  yet  they  bore  with  them  in  their  minds  theories  of 
government  and  institutions  which  they  sought  to  put  into 
operation. 

The  consequence  was,  as  I  have  said,  that  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
Kansas,  Minnesota,  and  the  two  Dakotas  sprang  rapidly  into 
political  being,  with  a  completeness  of  organization,  sometimes 
i.i  advance  of  the  perfection  of  organization  over  the  old  com- 
munities, which  it  is  surprising  to  contemplate  even  now  that 
it  has  become  a  familiar  fact. 

The  men  who  did  this  work  were  a  class  of  men  to  which 
JOHN  K.  GAMBLE  emphatically  belonged.  He  went  to  Dakota 
shortly  after  the  organization  of  that  vast  region  which  was 
formed  into  the  Territory  of  Dakota;  he  identified  himself  with 
all  her  interests,  he  became  prominent  in  all  the  councils  of 
that  region,  and  as  the  time  drew  nigh  when  Dakota  could 
rightfully  demand  admission  into  the  sisterhood  of  States,  he 
was  the  foremost  in  advocating  and  formulating  the  measures 
by  which  that  admission  should  be  brought  about. 

It  was  generally  understood  in  Dakota  for  a  long  time  that 
the  vast  Territory  of  Dakota  should  be  admitted  as  a  single 
State.  Against  that,  Mr.  GAMBLE  wisely  and  firmly  set  his 
face,  and  with  a  wisdom  which  time  has  demonstrated  to  be 
true. 

This  is  his  record  in  the  history  of  the  State  of  his  adoption ; 
and  now,  Mr.  President,  that  is  an  honor  for  any  man.  In  the 
older  historic  times  to  have  been  thus  concerned  in  the  founda- 
tion of  a  great  State  would  have  handed  a  man's  name  down 


64          Address  of  Mr.  Kyle,  of  South  Dakota,  on  the 

most  illustriously.  Such  instances  of  recent  years  have  been 
so  frequent,  and.  the  men  who  have  been  engaged  in  them  so 
many,  that  the  same  distinction  can  not  and  will  not  be  con,- 
ferred  upon  them,  nevertheless  they  deserve  it. 

So,  Mr.  President,  whatever  is  said  here  to-day  concerning 
the  memory  of  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  will  have,  except  for  those 
who  knew  him,  very  little  significance;. but  to  us  who  did  know 
him  they  signify  much.  What  has  been  said  here  to-day  will 
be  read  by  his  neighbors  in  his  distant  home  with  the  highest 
appreciation  and  with  the  feeling  that  no  tribute  which  lias 
been  paid  to  him  here  to-day  has  been  in  the  least  degree  un- 
deserved. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  KYLE,  OF  SOUTH  DAKOTA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE,  Eepresentative-elect  to 
the  Fifty- second  Congress  from  the  State  of  South  Dakota, 
was  born  in  Alabama,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  January  15, 
1848.  His  early  life  was  spent  upon  the  farm,  .where  his  edu- 
cational privileges  were  such  as  the  country  districts  afforded. 
When  about  14  years  of  age  his  parents -moved  to  Appleton, 
Wis.  It  was  in  this  State  where  his  education  was  completed 
and  where  he,  as  a  student  in  Lawrence  University,  distin- 
guished himself  for  thoroughness  in  scholarship,  graduating 
with  honors  from  the  classical  course  in  1872. 

Though  living  in  the  same  State,  it  was  not  my  privilege  to 
become  personally  acquainted  with  the  deceased;  but  in  a 
general  way  he  was  well  and  favorably  known  to  all  who  took 
an  interest  in  the  Territorial  history  of  South  Dakota,  and  in 
the  preparation  and  contest'for  statehood. 

JOHN  E.  GAMBLE  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  Ter- 
ritory, having  opened  a  law  office  at  Yankton  in  1873,  when 


Life  and  Character  of  John  R.  Gamble.  65 

the  norfhern  three-fourths  of  the  Territory  was  a  comparative 
wilderness — the  hunting  ground  of  the  Sioux  Indians. 

Being  energetic  and  active  by  nature  his  talents  were  soon 
demanded  in  the  affairs  of  state.  He  filled  successively  the 
offices  of  district  attorney  for  his  county,  United  States  dis- 
trict attorney  for  the  Territory,  represented  his  county  in  the 
legislature  during  1877,  1878,  and  1879,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Territorial  council  from  1881  to  1885.  In  the  fall  of  1890 
he  was  chosen  Congressman- at-large  upon  the  Republican 
ticket. 

During  the  early  days  of  a  State,  when  laws  are  being  en- 
acted and  institutions  are  being  fourfded,  when  her  future  is 
being  mapped  out,  great  responsibilities  rest  upon  those  called 
to  be  leaders. 

The  State  of  South  Dakota  looks  back  to-day  upon  many  of 
her-noble  sons  with  pride.  Men  who  have  given  her  a  consti- 
tution second  to  none,  and  educational  institutions  which 
would  do  honor  to  the  most  favored  States.  But  her  history  of 
these  is  not  read  without  feeling  and  seeing  the  impress  of  the 
wisdom  and  untiring  industry  of  JOHN  E.  GAMBLE.  He  was 
associated  in  this  work  with  men  of  national  reputation,  all  of 
whom  speak  in  terms  of  highest  praise  of  his  zeal  in  behalf  of 
the  future  of  the  Dakotas. 

Though  a  young  man  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  had,  like 
many  before  him  who  have  been  pressed  by  the  emergency  of 
the  times  into  public  service,  accomplished  the  work  and 
reaped  the  rewards  of  a  long  life.  We  have  in  his  career  a 
lesson  for  the  young  as  to  what  can  be  accomplished  by 
thoroughness  of  study  and  untiring  energy. 

His  public  life  was  merely  the  complement  of  another  life 
spent  in  devotion  to  his  profession. '  He  was  known  at  the  bar 
as  a  student  versed  in  the  law,  and  therefore  an  antagonist  to 
be  feared. 

H.  Mis.  83 5  . 


66  Address  of  Mr.  Kyle,  of  South  Dakota. 

It  was  not  his  privilege  to  take  his  seat  upoii  the  floor  of 
Congress. 

It  is  difficult  to  tell  what  would  have  been  his  record  in  this 
national  capacity;  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  he  would  have 
brought  to  his  new  .Avork  the  well  trained  enthusiasm  of  previ- 
ous years. 

JOHN  K.  GAMBLE  has  gone  from  us.  The  life  immortal  is 
now  his — where  progress  is  unhindered  and  where,  free  from 
the  conflicts  and  suffering  of  mortality,  his  soul  rests  with  the 
all-wise  and  beneficent  Creator.  He  is  mourned  by  citizens 
of  South  Dakota  irrespective  of  party,  and  they  unite  with 
the  State's  representatives  in  paying  this  last  tribute  to  a  hard- 
working, painstaking  lawyer,  a  wise  statesman,  and  kind  hus- 
band and  father. 

Mr.  President,  I  move  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions. 
The  resolutions  were  agreed  to  unanimously. 


DATE  DUE 


GAYLORD 


MTED  IN  U.S.A. 


3  2106  00061    3601 


